Eternal Wind
by mythicalpalkia
Summary: The Nine-Tails has finally been sealed and peace has returned to Konoha...or has it? After an accident 15 years ago in the resealing, Kurama is accidentally sent to another dimension and sealed inside someone else! Who could it be? None other than the Fearless Leader himself! Now he must live his life as a lie in order to keep Kurama safe. Will he keep Kurama's existence a secret?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia is here once more with another story! (I have like a ton of these going on behind the scenes and I work on them when I get bored lol) Recently, I just finished Naruto Shippuden, and I love Kurama! He is definitely my favorite character in the entire series. I just wish they gave him more screen time in Boruto lol. **

**Anyway, I've been thinking about a crossover like this for a while, but I didn't know how to execute it, until the idea came to me last night. So i'm super excited to get this story going. Fyi, this is 2012 verse for the turtles, cause I love it to death. It'll mostly take place in the turtle universe, but maybe rarely check on the Naruto universe.**

**I'm gonna add in music for this. Oooo something new. Figured it would add to the mood. So here's how it's gonna go. You see this** _**(1)**_**? You play the song that corresponds with it. You see this** _**(1!)**_**? That's when you stop playing music. I won't say anymore, because I want surprises. Enjoy! **

**Here's the song list:**

_**(1) Nine Tail Demon Fox- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(2) Beautiful Green Wild Beast- Naruto OST 3**_

_**(3) Sadness and Sorrow- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(4) Morning-Naruto OST 1**_

**I'm probably gonna end up using a lot of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden OST. Just because the fic is part Naruto, and the OST is so good.**

**I do not own Naruto, and I do not own TMNT.**

* * *

**Prologue**

**Lone Fox and Cub**

_**(1) **_Ah Konoha, the Village hidden in the Leaves, or to be specific, the Hidden Leaf Village. One of the most peaceful areas in all of the Land of Fire. And it was true. There was no fighting, no war, everyone was at peace. It certainly could not go bad anytime soon. Unfortunately for Minato, he knew differently.

The sight of a mountain sized, nine-tailed fox attacking the village showed him that.

Of all the days the darn thing had to be released, it had to be today. Course, he knew it wasn't his fault, or Kushina's fault. Someone attacked them when she was giving birth, and thus, the fox was set free and took his revenge on the village itself for sealing him away. Kushina had been giving birth to his son. He had hoped that something like this wouldn't happen, but as fate would have it, it did.

Finally, after finding his wife, the Hokage realized something. If the demon fox were to be sealed away again, it could not be in Kushina. From the looks of her, the strength from childbirth and the release of the demon fox had taken a huge toll on her. And unfortunately, she looked bad. And if it was sealed in her again, she would most definitely die. That was something that he didn't want to happen. Not after his son was just born. Minato did not want to think of Naruto growing up without his mother.

And even if she died, that thing would be revived again no matter what happened. And worse, it would have no host. More people could die from its rampage. As Hokage, he could not let that happen. Minato knew that some people in the village would have already died from the attack. He didn't want to do this, but he knew he had to.

And so, it was set. He would seal the fox inside of Naruto. To this, Kushina was outraged. She struggled in the chains that were bounded around her from the Adamantine Sealing.

"No Minato!" she yelled. "Don't seal it inside of him! Think about what'll happen to him! Remember how I was treated because of that demon? I don't want our son growing up like that! And he can't take that much chakra into him. Naruto could die! Please! I'm going to seal it inside of me! I don't care if I die. If I do, at least that monster will go down with me!"

Minato shook his head. "Then I'll seal half of its chakra inside of me," he told her. "I don't want him to grow up without a mother. I want you to be there for him as he grows up. And besides, you'll be there with him during his rough times. Naruto will grow up to be strong, you'll see."

A smile grew on his face as he spoke. By that point, Kushina seemed convinced. She nodded to him, tears begging to drop from her eyes, and then it began.

He began weaving signs with his hands, concentrating hard to make them perfect as possible. Minato could not mess up this part, and if he did, it could mean the entire fox would be sealed in his son, thus potentially killing him.

When the final sign was weaved, he shouted, "Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"

The shinigami appeared behind him, partially tugging at his soul. The demon then was able to split the demon fox's chakra in half, with the Yin part of the fox's chakra flowing into Minato's body. The shinigami then let go of his soul.

The Hokage was drained after that. But he knew his job wasn't just done yet. He began once more to weave the signs. However, Kurama noticed this, and after noticing half of his chakra was missing, he realized what was about to happen. With an intent to kill the child, he shot his paw forward, claws extended. Minato and Kushina gasped, and, in a last stitch effort, placed themselves protectively in front of their child. In a flash, both were impaled by the fox's large claw.

Both of them muttered out their final words to their child, promising that they would always be with him, no matter where Naruto was. Gathering all of the strength he had left, Minato began to once more weave the signs.

"Eight Trigrams Seal!" he yelled with all of his might. And thus, the sealing began.

The demon fox could feel his chakra being pulled, so he struggled keeping still. It was like a vacuum, sucking him into oblivion. After a while, the fox could no longer keep his feet on the ground, and thus was thrown in the air. His soul and the other half of his chakra were pulled towards the baby. For Minato and Kushina, everything was working well.

However, just as the demon fox was about to be sucked into the child, a mysterious purple/pink portal opened in front of the baby. The soul and chakra of Kurama, which was suppose to go into Naruto, went into the portal instead. And shortly after, it closed, never to be seen again. All the while, Minato and Kushina watched in horror as the fox was whisked away somewhere else. They did not know where the demon fox went, but it was somewhere far away from here.

Before they died, they realized that what happened was not a failure. While the Nine-Tails was not sealed away in their son, it was sent somewhere far away from the village, which was important. Not only that, Naruto would not have to live with the demon inside of him while growing up. The only thing the two regretted was not being able to see him grow up and not be with him. And finally, after the amount of pain the two went through, they died together.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, previously known as the Third Hokage, arrived at the area a few minutes after they died. He saw both of their bodies, cold and still, and realized that they were dead. Hiruzen noticed the young child, Naruto, crying in a little basket. And there was no Nine-Tails in sight. His first assumption was that the demon was sealed inside of the child, but there was no seal mark on the child's body.

And from that day, Sarutobi Hiruzen took over as Hokage once more, Minato and Kushina were praised as heroes, Naruto took the last name of his mother instead of his father, and the village presumed the demon fox to be dead forever. _**(1!)**_

* * *

Meanwhile, in another dimension...

A somewhat young man strolled into the pet shop. He was tall, had black hair, a set of brown eyes, and wore a maroon kimono. His name was Hamato Yoshi, and today would become one of the best, and worst, days of his life.

A few weeks ago, he had just recently lost his wife and only child. They had been killed by Oroku Saki, otherwise known as the Shredder. In fear that he, who was once his brother, not by blood, would come after him, Yoshi had moved to New York, the place where Tang Shen wanted to visit all of her life. It would be fitting for him to move there, just for the time being, and eventually go back to Japan to rebuild the clan he had left behind.

Today, however, was a different story. After a nightmare he had during his sleep of that fateful night where he lost his family, he had decided to get a pet, in an effort to hopefully ease the pain and suffering in his mind. The question is, he didn't exactly know what type of pet to get. A dog would be too rowdy, and if he wanted to meditate, it would no doubt disturb him during his time of peace. A cat would be easy to take care of. Or perhaps he could get a reptile.

Coming upon the pet store, he saw a sign in the window. TURTLES 4 SALE. His mind was then made up. For some odd reason, he now knew what to get. A turtle would be easy to take care of. Heck, he could get two or three if he wanted to. Having made up his mind, Yoshi opened the door to the pet shop. There was a women there to greet him, with a name tag on that said, "Jane."

"Hello!" she greeted him. "Welcome! Can I help you find anything today sir?"

He nodded. "I saw the sign in the window. Do you know where I can see some turtles?" Jane grew excited once Yoshi mentioned them.

"Oh yes!" she answered. "Here, I can take you to them." She led him to the other side of the room where the aquariums were. In a small contained contained four baby turtles.

"Here they are," she said. "These four were just hatched a week or two ago. And they're brothers as well."

The turtles were slowly walking around and interacting with each other. Only, something was odd about them. The smallest one was trying to play with the biggest one, who was pushing him away. Another one was studying the water, making sure of whether or not it was safe. Jane picked up the smallest turtle.

"This one is the youngest," she said. "He's very interactive with his brothers. I've been him trying to get the other ones to play with him." She placed him back in the little tank, and grabbed out another turtle.

"This one is actually pretty smart. He's the second youngest. He likes to study his environment sometimes, and makes sure that it's safe." Jane put the turtle back near the water where it was before. She then picked up a third turtle.

"This one is rowdy sometimes." She chuckled a little bit. "He's very protective of the other three, but he can be angry at times." Jane put him back in the tank.

Yoshi noticed that she wasn't picking up the fourth turtle. He looked over to it, and saw where it was. Compared to the rest of the turtles, this one was rather sickly and unhealthy.

"What about that one," he said, pointing to the last turtle. Jane looked at where he was pointing, and sighed.

"This one, ironically enough, is the oldest one. However, when he hatched, he wasn't exactly as strong as he could have been. We're not sure if he'll live long or not. We've tried everything, but he just doesn't eat. He's just been getting worse." She paused for a moment, then continued.

"But, that hasn't stopped him from protecting his younger brothers. It's like he's leading them, to be honest with you. Though, I don't know how much longer he'll live." Jane ended off with a sad tone.

He had decided what he would do. "I'll take all four of them. I do not want them to be separated from each other. And, I want them all to spend as much time together as they can. Perhaps, all that young one needs is some love."

Jane was excited to hear this. And so, Hamato Yoshi paid for all four turtles, and left the pet store with four new additions to his family. As he carried the small turtles in the little aquarium, he felt as if a small piece of his heart had been restored.

He kept his eyes on the baby turtles for a second, and didn't notice the fact that someone had partially ran into him. Surprisingly, the figure kept on walking. Though something felt off about the stranger. When Yoshi had ran into him, it didn't feel like he ran into a person. It felt like he ran into something made of metal. Sensing something suspicious was about to happen, Yoshi followed the man.

The man's destination was a back alley. Yoshi hid behind one of the walls of a building. To his surprise, the stranger had met up with another man, who looked exactly like the stranger. The second man was holding a mysterious glowing container. He wanted to get closer, to see more clearly what was going on, but when he took a step forward, he accidentally stepped on a rat's tail. It squealed in pain, alerting the two mysterious men to draw their attention towards the maker of the noise. And unfortunately, they noticed Hamato Yoshi.

"Go no further," the first one said. "This place is a place where you are not allowed to be in this place."

He could hear the sound of more footsteps coming from behind him alerted his attention. More men that look exactly the same were coming closer to him. Yoshi instinctively tightened his grip around the container with the four baby turtles.

"We have been seen by you in this place," the second one said. "So this is not a place that will be left by you."

All four men began to close in on him. And thus, a fight began to ensue. However, what the men did not know, was that Hamato Yoshi was a very skilled ninja. And now he knew, that these men would not leave him alone.

_**(2) **_Holding onto the container for dear life, with the four baby turtles inside, Yoshi kicked his way through the men. He took on three of the men at once. However, one of the men went off to the side. He had a strange device in his hand. With a push of a button, the device hummed to life, and, in a manner that surprised Yoshi, a strange purple/pink gateway opened.

He punched one of the men, which so happened to to be holding the mysterious glowing container. The man had lost his grip on it. The container was flung into the air. Glancing behind him, Yoshi threw a shuriken at the device, hoping that it would be destroyed by it. And at that moment, time seemed to stand still. The container fell towards the ground, and shattered on Hamato Yoshi's head.

This caused the container to spill open its containments, smothering ooze all over the young man. And not only that, but because of the fact that it shattered on his head, it caused him to lose his grip on the small aquarium that held the four turtles. It fell to the earth, shattering as it hit the ground, causing the four of them to be thrown into the ooze. And at the same time, a strange reddish aura shot out of the portal towards them. The shuriken soon hit the device afterwards, closing the gateway completely.

The aura shot towards the turtles, in an effort to be sealed in some sort of body. The eldest turtle, despite being covered in the painful ooze and now changing into something else, and his sickly body, out of pure instinct, protected his younger brothers from the strange apparition. And that was when the aura flew straight into his body. The turtle writhed in pain as the aura went into him. However, no one seemed to noticed, as they all were experiencing pain from the substance. And, perhaps it was a good thing too.

One thing was for sure, the young turtle could not take that much amount of pain. With the substance now changing him into a humanoid turtle, and the apparition coming into his body, he could not handle the physical and mental stress. At last, his transformation was complete, and he fell forward, away from the ooze covered ground. His eyes slowly started to close, as his strength was immediately leaving him. Somewhere, he could hear the faint call of someone calling out to him. But he could not adhere to it. Finally, he faded into darkness.

The thirty-five year old man was no longer human, and his pet turtles were no longer normal turtles. The ooze had transformed him into a giant brown/black rat. The DNA from the rat he had stepped on earlier had influenced his transformation. For the turtles, they were no longer ordinary turtles. Now, they all had humanoid features and bodies. The strange men left abruptly, and were nowhere in sight. _**(2!)**_

Yoshi collapsed to the ground in agony. He stared at his hands, which were now different than before. The newly mutated rat screamed out in agony, as another wave of pain hit him. Once it was over, he pushed himself up, finding that he had more strength than he had before. Why though? He looked behind him, only for shock to come upon his face. He had a tail. Hamato Yoshi was now a giant rat.

Panic swept over him like a tidal wave. However, it was disrupted by the sound of crying. He looked over to the source of the noise, and saw three of the now humanoid turtles. They acted like human infants, and in a sense, begging for attention. Taking his attention off of his new form, he walked over to the infants, carefully minding his current form. He made it over there, slowly picking up the three turtles. Yoshi tried to soothe them, rocking them back in forth. Only, something was missing. There was a turtle missing.

The mutated rat looked around frantically, being careful not to drop the other three, who were squirming in his arms. Yoshi was mindful to not leave the alley, because if he was seen in his current form, then he would no doubt be taken away. For one thing, he knew that the last turtle was still in the alley, for if he had turned out like the other three, then he wouldn't be going anywhere soon. But what if those men took him?

For some reason, Yoshi had a new feeling for these turtles. It wasn't like a pet/owner bond. These turtles almost felt like children. Well, they now possessed human attributes, but he suddenly had a certain feeling to protect them, and find their lost brother. His new ears perked up, searching for any sound or noise that the young turtle could have made. And then, the sound of shallow breathing could be heard from the corner of the alley. Yoshi rushed over quickly to the sounds, and finally, he had found what he was looking for. Only, slight panic began to take over his system.

The turtle had passed out. He couldn't blame the young one, after the pain it went through. But, Yoshi remembered the fact that the woman at the pet store had said that this turtle was sickly to begin with. And he could tell that whatever the strange ooze had done to it, it was certainly not good.

The three other turtles squirmed in his arms, practically begging to be let go. The rat slowly set them down on the ground, and knelt down, putting a hand on the turtle's plastron to see if it was still breathing. And indeed he was. To his surprise, the other three turtles crawled very slowly towards the fourth. They gathered around their sick brother, hoping that he would be alright.

He was intrigued by the sight. All four were like a unit. One could not function without the other. When one was down, the other three waited for the last one. In a way it was like…

_'__A family,' _Yoshi thought. He realized it now. They were _his _turtles. His _responsibility. _He had to take care of them. Even if it means risking his life.

Of course, they were still his pets as well. He did not feel a strong bond between himself and them. After all, Yoshi had literally just bought them. But, as they are and would've been, they depended on him. He would take care of them now, and perhaps let them go later. The mutant rat placed his hand over the unconscious form of the sickly turtle.

_'Please young one,' _he thought as if he was praying. _'__Come back to us. Your brothers need you…'_

* * *

A few months later…

Kurama slowly opened his eyes. He was tired and drained, and couldn't remember what had transpired previously. Well of course, he still knew who he was. He was Kurama! The strongest and powerful of all the tailed beasts! He would find why…he was caged in?

_The heck? _He thought angrily. If it was one thing that the demon fox was known for, it was his hatred. And oh was he mad. Not only was he no longer in the Hidden Leaf Village, but he was in some sort of giant cave, with stronger than iron bars keeping him in on one side of the cave. The cave itself was a shade of blue, with a small pond in the middle.

**_'What is this?!' _**He thought angrily. **_'_****_Someone has tried to imprison me! Huh! Well, they can't keep me in here for long. They'll pay for what they've done!'_**

The giant fox got up, and ran towards the bars. He rammed into it with all his might. The bars shook, but they still held. Kurama noticed this, and became angrier. So, he barged at the iron bars once more, ramming his head straight into the bars. Still, they did not move. He was getting frustrated.

After a series of attempts, the fox collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. He had tried everything. From ramming into the bars. From blasting a Tailed Beast Ball at the bars. Heck, he even cloaked himself in his own chakra and ran into the bars. Sure, it left him with a painful headache afterword, but Kurama still had to try. Unfortunately for him, nothing worked. So where the heck was he?

Kurama stared at the iron bars before him, noticing the middle bar was larger than the others. Getting up once more, he walked over to the bars. The fox slowly stuck part of his head through the bars, not entirely, but able to see whatever was on the middle bar. His could feel his chakra being tugged on as he did it. Nausea rose in his throat as an idea of where he could be surfaced in his mind. The fox turned his head and looked at the middle bar. His eyes widened in anger and horror. It said Eight Trigrams Seal. Then, the memories came back to him. He had been sealed. Inside of someone. By the _Hokage._

"**MINNNNAAAAATOOOOOOOOO!" **the fox roared out in anger.

His attempt at killing the child before he was sealed away failed miserably. Now he was trapped inside this stupid brat of a baby. Oh, Kurama was mad. His chakra was fuming. Oh how he was waiting for the day to grab the child's chakra, tug at it, pull it out, kill the child, escape, and…

Through his anger, something felt odd to him. The fox could not sense the boy's chakra. This was something strange. Every living being had chakra. Even those with a little amount, Kurama could've sensed it. So, why wasn't he sensing it now? Being inside of someone's mind, he would've immediately felt it within an inch in front of him. And this is the Hokage's son! Minato himself had a large surplus of chakra. Not to mention Kushina had a ton as well, which meant their son would have that trait. So then, why was there no chakra?

Could the child be dead? No, that was impossible. If that brat was dead, then he would've been set free. Although, this is an Eight Trigrams seal. It would've taken him down with the brat. Or, possibly not, since he was still alive. But Kurama would've been able to escape. What is this then?

His ears perked up at a sound. It sounded like crying. But Kurama could not see outside of the child's mind. So the brat must be unconscious then. He looked in the direction where he heard the crying coming from. To his surprise, it was the child himself. Only, something was different. This child wasn't Minato's son, which, in his mind, was a relief. He did not feel like being shoved into the mind of the Hokage's son. Only thing was, who was this?

Kurama took a closer look at the baby, and seemed to be in shock. This was definitely _not _a human. Instead, this child had green skin. He was about the size of a human child, but he had a shell on his back. The young one was somehow able to enter his own mindscape which even surprised the fox.

**_'A kappa?' _**He thought. He was sealed inside a baby kappa? But that made no sense. Kappas were not known to travel to the Hidden Leaf Village. So then this could not be a kappa. And most certainly could not be a kappa's child. Who is this then? What had transpired during the sealing?

The lighting began to flicker in the cave. Kurama wondered what was going on. The child cried once more. And then, a strange voice encompassed his ear.

"_Please young one!" _A voice called out. "_You must wake up! Please!" _

The voice was… begging? One thing was for sure. Kurama did not recognize this voice. For one thing, it spoke English, a language that none of the ninja spoke, so that gave him some sort of idea where he was sealed in. Kurama could speak and understand English as well, so he could tell that he was somewhere else. Somewhere outside of the Land of Fire. But how did he get out here then?

The second thing he noticed was the voice's accent. It was clearly Japanese, only it did not sound like the Hokage or that strange masked man that controlled him. Third, it was begging for the young turtle to wake up. So now he knew a few things. He knew he was no longer in Konoha, no one from that village seemed to follow him here, and this turtle needed to wake up for some reason.

_**(3) **_His eyes widened as he came to a conclusion. Somehow, during the sealing process, his soul and chakra, which were mean got be sealed inside Minato's son, _curse that Hokage_, were transported somewhere outside of the Land of Fire. Somewhere they spoke English. Eventually he ended up being sealed inside a small humanoid turtle, who has no chakra. And judging by the voice that was calling out to the child, which may have been his father, Kurama didn't exactly know the details, he could now tell that the turtle was dying. And it was all because of him.

The fox hated to admit it, but he felt guilt, something he hadn't felt since who knows how many years of anger and agony. Normally in this situation, he would get angry, plot to take over his vessel, and use some sort of means to escape. This time, the turtle had no chakra. And because of that, when the fox entered his system, his body couldn't handle it, forcing it to shut down and go into unconscious. And somehow, during those few months, the child was able to enter his own mindscape at not even a year old. That impressed Kurama. A child with no chakra that could do groundbreaking abilities. And yet he wasn't going to live long enough to test those abilities.

Kurama felt sorry for the turtle. He was dragged into a war without any of its own knowing. Sure it would've been different with Minato and Kushina's son, but this...the fox was in an area that presumably never even heard of ninjas. The turtle was dragged into something that probably was never heard of around here. And, in a sense, the child reminded Kurama of himself as a kit. When he and his kin were released from the Ten-Tails, Kurama suffered the most, as he was almost like leftovers from the beast. He was sickly, and hardly was able to move on his own. The fox almost had given up, but with some love and encouragement from the old man, he was able to recover dramatically.

He missed the old man, and now it seems like a situation like this is happening again. The old man hadn't given up on him, and this voice isn't going to give up on the turtle either. The young one has great potential in store, and surely he would not let it go to waste. Kurama had decided what he was going to do.

Slowly, he turned around and let his nine tails face the bars of the prison. One by one, each of the tails slowly made their way out of the prison. However, the seal was holding them back ever so slightly, and Kurama had to work hard in order for them to reach out. As the tails got closer, the pull of the seal got tighter.

**_'Stupid Hokage,' _**he thought. _**'**_**_I will not let some stupid seal hold me back!'_**

Kurama struggled and shook as his tails stretched and reached out towards the infant. Finally, his tails could not reach any farther, and only hovered inches above the turtle's head. To his surprise, the turtle stopped crying, and his eyes opened, revealing cerulean blue irises. These were similar to those of Minato and his child's irises. The turtle looked interested in one of Kurama's tails. He reached out in interest, grabbing ahold of one of the tails.

**_'This brat is already putting his trust in me, _**Kurama noted.

He smirked at the thought. The fox lifted his tail gently, as the little turtle clung to it for dear life. He slowly brought him back into the prison where he was currently being held. His tail lowered to the ground, as the infant was carefully placed down so he wouldn't get hurt. The fox then thought about what to do next.

**_'The kid has no chakra,' _**he wondered. _**'**_**_So with the addition of me being sealed inside of him, it is killing him. So, if I were able to take some of my chakra, give it to him, and have him make it his own, then he would survive.' _**Kurama shook his head.

**_'Of course, there are going to be some side effects from this, but it is the only way to save him.' _**The turtle wasn't scared of the giant fox at all. Once again, he latched onto one of the tails playfully, snuggling close to it to be warm.

The best way to transfer his chakra was through one of his tails. So, he set the turtle down on the ground once more. One of his tails came down towards the boy, who did not look intimidated by it at all. The tip touched the area where the turtle's stomach would've been if it wasn't covered by a shell. A strange, small red aura flowed out of the fox's tail, and into the tiny body of the turtle. The infant laughed in delight, as it gave him a happy feeling inside of him.

Around the cave, the light no longer flickered. It became stronger, no longer dimming the cave. The turtle himself was looking healthier, no longer supporting the grayish-green skin, but instead a more darker green hue. Kurama was satisfied with this. Not only was the infant able to hold chakra, but he was able to hold a small portion of his own chakra. That, in it of itself, surprised him. He thought the child would've died, but it is holding out through the process.

Finally, the red chakra stopped flowing from Kurama. He lifted his tail away from the child. The turtle looked way healthier than before. Healthy enough to live. The fox smirked.

_**'**_**_Heh! This brat better be thankful I saved his life!'_** The infant begged for one of Kurama's tails to come back and snuggle him. Said fox sat there in confusion at what the infant wanted.

**"Nani?"** Kurama spoke to the infant. "**What do you want from me?!" **The brat was beginning to bother him a little, making strange noises at him. His tails moved in agitation as anger began to rise in this body. The infant watched the nine appendages in interest, wanting to get close to one. He crawled slowly towards the giant fox. In response, said fox placed all nine of his tails in front of him in defence.

"**No!" **he roared. "**I am not going to...huh?" **Despite the fact that he used his tails as a defence weapon, the turtle did not think that was the case. Kurama stared down at the turtle in awe, as the infant did something he never expected. The turtle was hugging one of his tails. Not in anger. Not in fright. But in pure innocence.

**_'How could he not be afraid of me?' _**Kurama thought. _**'**_**_Me?! A Tailed Beast?! All nine of us are feared, and yet…'_ **He looked at the young turtle once more.

**_'It's probably because he's young. That's got to be it! I am not going to believe…!' _**The sound of soft breathing could be heard. His eyes trailed to the turtle, who had fallen asleep next to his tail! He felt a rush of heat rise in his cheeks. His ears lowered in embarrassment. It was definitely a good thing none of the other Tailed Beasts were here. Kurama sighed.

"**I'm growing soft, aren't I?" **he complained.

The turtle's body began to glow softly. Kurama realized what was happening. The child was waking up in the real world. This meant that the turtle would disappear from his mindscape. The glow intensified, and the turtle was gone. The giant fox sighed in relief. He lied down in the ground, feeling sleep come upon him.

But, there was another feeling that was aching him. The fox hated to admit it, but he felt lonely. He had actually _liked _the turtle's company? Kurama shook his head in disagreement.

_**'No,'** _he thought sadly. _**'W**__**hen he grows up, he will fear me. Just as every human does.' **_His ears ears drooped, and his eyes began to close, however, a light encompassed his vision. Kurama grunted, as the light consumed him. _**(3!)**_

* * *

Same time, a few hours later…

Yoshi waited by the young turtle with patience, as well as trying to control the other three turtles next to him. The eldest turtle had been unconscious for a few months, and showed no sign of getting better. He had nearly lost him just a few hours ago. Yoshi begged for the turtle to not give, and thankfully, a faint heartbeat was heard. And after he made sure the heartbeat was stable, he tended to the other three turtles in their new home.

During that time, he had been constantly moving himself and the little turtles around the city. Each time they were discovered by the mysterious men and some robots, they moved. Yoshi didn't have a choice. Otherwise, they would've been killed. As much as he didn't want to move the unconscious turtle, the rat knew he had to. After an encounter with the strange men, the rat and the young turtles nearly died as the encounter left them being thrown into a sewer and sucked away. Now, they were living in an abandoned subway station, and so far, the mysterious men haven't detected them as of yet. For now, he focused on watching the unconscious turtle.

By that time, Yoshi was deciding on giving them names. He had been taking care of them for a while now. It would be a good thing, since then he would be able to differentiate them. The three turtles tugged at his clothes, and were starting to begin to teethe. Yoshi picked them up and set them on the ground. He grabbed a huge, cobalt book out of his box of personal items. The rat sat down, as the three turtles crowded around him.

"When I was a child," he began. "I wanted to be an artist. So, it seems appropriate to name you after the masters of my favorite period of art. The Renaissance. Perhaps then, you will grow up to be something great."

Yoshi glanced over at the unconscious turtle, who he had wrapped up in a blanket. He placed the book on the ground in front of the three turtles. It opened up to a random page. The three crawled up to it, placing their small hands on three of the artists on the page. Each looked excited, as they were about to gain something.

"Hmm," he hummed, staring at the three. "I will name you." He pointed to the first turtle.

"Donatello," The turtle put his hand up to his chin.

"Michelangelo." The second turtle stuck his tongue out in response.

"And, Raphael." The third turtle smirked in satisfaction. Each of them began to giggle at their newly acquired names.

He smiled at their laughter. Then, deciding that the day had been long enough, he quickly tucked the three turtles into their own separate bed, away from their brother. It was not the fact that the unconscious turtle was contagious or anything. Yoshi kept him away so the other three couldn't hurt him in this state by accident.

The rat remembered that day well. It was a few days before they were discovered once more in an abandoned warehouse. He had seen their talents, as Donatello had turned on a light, and all three of them began to copy his motions as he practiced his ninjutsu. And sometimes, the three brothers would come over to their brother and try to play with him, only, he wouldn't wake up.

It was sad to see their eldest brother not wake up. Yoshi felt heartbroken at the sight. There was nothing he could do. He was unable to take him to the hospital because of what he is, and he had no medical equipment for the same reason. The rat even administered the Healing Hands, and all that he was brought with was a searing fiery pain to his hands. Yoshi pulled his hands away immediately, and had to wrap his hands in bandages because of that.

He decided that it would be best to head in for the night. The rat had already put the other three turtles to bed. And now that the unconscious one was stable, it was best for him to rest as well. After all, he would need all the energy he could get in the morning, when the three turtles woke up as well.

_**(4) **_Just when he was about to fall asleep as well, a little moan was heard. His ears perked up. Could it be? The shuffling of a blanket could be heard as the little turtle squirmed around in the blanket. Yoshi ran over to the little box in anticipation.

_'Please,' _he prayed. _'__Please let this be the day that my son wakes up!'_

In the turtle's mindscape, the light dissipated and Kurama could see again. Only, he wasn't seeing a lit blue room in front of him. Dark gray fuzziness came into his view, as a mysterious figure stood before his eyes. The fox realized then. He was seeing through the turtle's eyes! He didn't have control over him, but he was able to see what the turtle was seeing.

The turtle began to open his eyes. Cerulean irises with a tint of red came into view as his eyelids rose slowly. Yoshi stood over the box, watching the magnificent scene before him. Finally, the turtle's eyes opened completely, clearing away the blurriness. Kurama's eyes widened, and shock filled his face. He was definitely not in Konoha anymore.

Above the turtle was a figure. And this figure was a giant rat with black/brown fur. The rat stood taller than a man. He had a maroon kimono on with black flower embroideries. It was the symbol of a clan. And as far as Kurama knew, this clan did not exist in any of the lands of shinobi. The surrounding area was somewhere underground, and it definitely wasn't the Hidden Rain's underground. This place...it was too advanced.

"Welcome home, my son," he said to the turtle.

The turtle's eyes widened as he noticed Yoshi. And to his surprise, the little one jumped out of the box and ran away on all fours in fright. He ran up the stairs to the soon-to-be-built dojo that Yoshi was working on. The rat stood there in shock. Sure he knew that his other three sons were not as slow as regular turtles, but this one was fast!

"Wait!" he called out to the young turtle. Yoshi went up the stairs to find his son.

Meanwhile, Kurama was taking in the new surroundings of this new world. This was definitely not even close to looking like his home. It was like an entirely new dimension. Though, one thing still confused him. Why was the turtle running away from the rat? He wasn't scared when he gave his chakra and he met the fox for the…

Oh. Oooooohhhhh. Now he understood. He didn't exactly know much about children, but something was different from his meeting with the turtle and the rat's meeting with the turtle. The turtle didn't fear him, and when he saw the rat, he ran. So, did that mean...

**_'No!' _**He thought. _**'**_**_I am not the brat's father! I do not intend on taking care of that...thing!'_**

The little turtle ran into the room, and looked around. There wasn't much to it, other than the carpet on the floor, the paper-like doors on the end of the room, and surprisingly, a rather large tree in the middle of the room. Sunlight glistened through the tree. The turtle, as well as Kurama who was viewing through his eyes, stared in awe at the sight before them.

It was cut short, however, as the sound of running feet could be heard behind the turtle. The young one picked it up very quickly, and ran once again on all fours towards the tree. He hid behind it, hoping to allude his pursuer. Kurama sighed.

_'I think he inherited more than a few side effects,' _he thought.

"My son," Yoshi said, as he entered the dojo. "Please, do not be afraid. I am not going to hurt you."

His ears perked up, as he began to hear the sound of whimpering. He turned, and looked behind the tree in the center of the dojo. There, curled up in a ball, was the little turtle. The young one quivered and shook in fear as the giant rat came closer to him. This made Kurama worried.

**_'This must be the turtle's father,' _**Kurama thought. **_'__And yet, the brat thinks I'm his...Tch!'_**

Immediately, the turtle was pulled back into his own mindscape. He sat in front of the giant fox, who was still behind bars. The turtle's eyes suddenly lit up in delight, as he ran swiftly on all fours over to the fox. He snuggled up close to one of his tails.

_**'Dang it, I have to get this stupid brat off of me and to his father,'** _he thought.

The Nine-Tailed fox lowered his muzzle towards the tail where the turtle was snuggling against. He gently pushed him away. In response, the young one giggled in delight, as he was being nuzzled by his "father." Kurama's ears lowered in annoyance, realizing the kid was starting to like him. He pushed the turtle outside the bars. After that, he retracted his muzzle.

Once the turtle realized he was no longer being nuzzled, he immediately ran back towards the fox. Only, Kurama pushed him away once more. This went on for a few minutes, until finally, the turtle looked up at him with eyes full of sadness. He was beginning to realize what was happening. The giant fox sighed.

**"****I**** am not your father," **he said to him, hoping the turtle would understand. **"****Your father's out there." **Kurama gestured to the entrance of the cave with his tails.

"**Go to him. He needs you now." **The turtle looked saddened by the fact that he was leaving the fox. But, it needed to be done. His tiny hand clasped around one of the bars. Kurama shook his head.

"**Go," **he said affirmingly. "**Do not worry about me. I am not going anywhere. Hehe. We'll see each other again one day." **

The young turtle's eyes widened in excitement. He laughed in delight. Kurama smirked. He nudged the turtle away from the bars. And thus, the little one began to make his way on all fours towards the entrance of the cave.

**_'Well, he certainly inherited more than just my chakra,' _**he thought, seeing the actions of the turtle reminded him of when he was younger.

The turtle reached the entrance of the cave. He looked back towards Kurama in hesitation. Said fox nodded for the turtle to go. The young terrapin smiled to him, and left the cave. Once again, the giant fox sat down and sighed in relief.

On the outside, Yoshi came over the the shaking turtle. "My son please," he began. "I have no intention of harming you. Open your eyes and look at me."

Said turtle, who had just exited his mindscape, opened his cerulean blue irises, and looked up. He became startled by the fact that the giant rat was next to him. The turtle retreated backwards, having his shell come up against the tree.

"It is alright young one," he said to him. "I promise you that I will never harm you in any way." The rat knelt down next to him.

"I do not know if you remember me at all or not, but I was the human who bought you from the pet store. I thought that you and your brothers would help me get over the fears of my past life, as my family was taken away from me. I hoped that you four would bring hope into my heart." He seemed distressed as he talked.

Kurama listened in, as he saw and heard the rat talking to the turtle. _**'**_**_So he was once human?' _**The fox thought. **_'__Then what sort of curse or jutsu came upon him and turned him into this?'_**

He learned a few things in that moment. One, he was still in a world with humans. Two, this giant rat used to be human as well. Three, the turtle had three brothers. Four, the rat definitely lost his family somehow.

"After bringing you with me," the rat began. "I ran into a strange man. I sensed suspicion in him, so I followed him. I was then discovered, as I had stepped on a rat's tail. Soon, I was surrounded by four of them. As I fought my way through them as I was holding the container with the four of you, one of them opened up a strange portal to somewhere. I defeated the third man, who held a mysterious canister, causing it to be thrown in the air. I did not wish for them to get away, so I threw a shuriken at the strange device, destroying it. But what I did not notice was the canister landing on my head."

**_'Strange portal?'_** Kurama thought. He began to think back to the time when he was being sealed by Minato. The fox was suppose to be sealed into the boy, but some sort of pink/purple portal opened in front of the boy. And thus, Kurama's soul and chakra were sucked into the portal instead. Now, he was beginning to understand.

"And when it landed on my head, I lost my hold on the four of you. I did not mean for that to happen. The four of you fell into a strange substance, and covered me with it as well. I turned into what you see now, and you became who you are as well. Only, while the rest of your brothers were awake and healthy, you were unconscious. You have been this way for months, and haven't woken up."

Tears began to form in his eyes. "I nearly lost you a few hours ago," he admitted sadly. "You nearly died. But, you came back, and hope filled my heart once more that you decided to not give up on me, on your brothers. I felt happiness rise within my heart as I saw you awake. Please, I will never harm you."

And that was the moment everything clicked in Kurama's mind. He was definitely not home at all. If anything, he was in another reality. One where the life of a shinobi is unknown, and there is no war. Where animals don't speak, and where demons don't exist.

Now he knew what he had missed. Months. Months?! It had been months since he was sealed away in the turtle. And during before that time, some strange substance changed the man and the normal turtles into what they are now. Thus, during their transformation, the fox's spirit and chakra were sealed inside the turtle. And then, months passed, all the while the rat took care of the turtle, as well as his brothers. The turtle had almost died, and he would've, if it wasn't for Kurama. He couldn't imagine what would've happened if the turtle had died. The rat's heart would've been so broken to the point beyond repair. The other turtles would never see their brother again.

At this point, Kurama wondered if this was a weird coincidence or not. Well, at least the good thing was that he wasn't sealed inside the Hokage's son. But now, the fox began to think that he would never be able to get to his home again. For one thing, he now understood that the strange men that attacked the rat man were intending on coming to the Hidden Leaf Village, which he was attacking at the same time. If it weren't for the former human, then they would've came through the portal.

But...why? Was it just a means of escape? Or was it...something else? From what he could tell from the rat's story, those men had a strange canister filled with a mysterious substance. Perhaps they were planning on using it on someone in the Land of Fire. And if that stuff could do, well… _that, _then what else could've happened?

The turtle didn't budge at all, still staring at the giant rat in wonder. He wasn't shaking at all, all he did was watch, trying to see what the rat would do next. To his surprise, the rat stretched his out towards him. He still stood there.

**"Go," **A voice said in the back of his mind. It was Kurama. "**Go to him. He needs you, just as you need him." **

Trusting the fox's voice, the turtle brushed his head against the rat's hand. He smiled when he saw the turtle do this. Then, the young one ran up to him on all fours, nuzzling himself instinctively against his new guardian's body. Inside his mind was a fox with a smile on his face.

Yoshi smiled in happiness as his eldest son finally accepted him.

"My son," he said. The rat knelt down on the ground next to his son. "Thank you for coming back to us. Your brothers and I would not know what to do without you." The two embraced each other for a few minutes. Then, something occurred to him.

"You, my son, need a proper name," he said to the young turtle.

The rat picked him up in his arms and walked over to what appeared to be a shrine. At the bottom of the shrine was a large cobalt book. He placed the turtle in front of the shrine, grabbed the book, and knelt in front of the turtle. The rat began to flip some pages, until finally, he came upon one specific one.

"I have already named your brothers," he said to him. "You are the eldest of them, which one day, I hope you will learn to lead them."

He took the book and laid it in front of the turtle. The young one stared at the page intently, looking at the four names that were written there.

"Your brothers' names are Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. One day, you will protect them, and lead them on the path of life. But, for now, it is time that I bestow upon you your own name. From this day forward, my son, you will be called, 'Leonardo.'" Kurama scoffed at the name. He would've thought the rat would give the turtle a Japanese name.

Nonetheless, the naming of the turtle began a certain chain of events. These in turn, would change his future family and friends. The world would depend on it as well. And, most of all, change a certain nine-tailed fox. Said fox could feel sleep drag him in. As his eyes began to close, he murmured something that the turtle could hear.

"**Leonardo…" **Kurama said, and was pulled into a deep slumber once more…_**(4!)**_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**And thus ends the prologue. Ahhh! I'm so excited for this story! Now here's some information.**

**Ok, so I've watched the Naruto and Naruto Shippūden subs instead of the dubs, and am I the only one who thinks it's weird to write the characters speaking English? I don't know that much Japanese to begin with so I have to write them in English. Honestly that's the reason why I had Kurama mention that the shinobi spoke Japanese, even though I can't write it. Also tbf the English dub voice actors kinda sound terrible compared to the sub, or that's just me. **

**Most of this chapter is based off of the episode "Lone Rat and Cubs" from season 5. I do like the episode, but I wish Splinter didn't just open up to a random page and be like, "Hmm, there are four names on this page, four turtles, these are your names!" Or like how the baby turtles got trapped underneath the shopping cart in the water. THEY FELL AWAY FROM IT! But whatever. I think I might base some stuff off of some of the episodes, but there is going to be some non-canon stuff coming up. **

**When I mean that this version of Earth has no chakra, it has no chakra. Just to clarify. Chakra does not exist in the turtles' universe, nor does nature energy, or any other energy of that sort. Hence why people have normal lives and not throwing Rasengans all over the place XD Of course, Leo almost died because he was never exposed to chakra before, this happening when Kurama got sealed in him, and the fact that his mutation was also occurring at the same time. But, when Kurama willingly gave his chakra to Leo, he in a sense mixed it in with the Earth's version of lifeforce, thus making Leo have his own version of the nine-tails chakra. Oh, it gets better later on. **

**Anyways, enough of me rambling. What did you guys think? Good? Bad? Decent? I know there's not that many Naruto-TMNT crossovers (Unlike Pokemon-Sonic crossovers, shameless plug) but hopefully you guys like this! **

**Oh btw, the time is the same in Naruto's world as it is in the turtles' world. Am I hinting at Naruto meetup? Hmmmmmm…**

**Anyways, until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia **


	2. Ch 1 I've Got A Friend in Me

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 2! Arceus dang guys, WOW! You guys really like this! Thank you so much! So many people viewed this! Ahhhhh! Thank you for checking out my story! But before we get into this…**

**Caliban Super Saiyan 0: Well, to tell you the truth, it's weird. In the season 3 episode, "The Deadly Venom," Splinter taught Leo the signs for the Healing Hands, WHICH FOR SOME REASON HE WAS ABLE TO DO WITH THREE FINGERS?! I don't know, I still can't even process how he still did the signs in the first place. Oh well. But...I can guarantee you there will be a way... **

**Dylan-A-Friend: Thank you dude!**

**Here's the song list:**

_**(1) Man of the World- Naruto Shippuden OST **_

_**(2) Colorful Mist- Naruto Shippuden OST**_

_**(3) Departure to the Frontlines- Naruto Shippuden OST**_

**Btw, there's like a playlist on Youtube with like 96 videos of the Naruto Shippuden track, that's where I'm taking the songs from, cause some of them aren't officially released.**

**Alright! Let's get into it!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.**

**Chapter 1**

**I've Got a Friend in Me**

_Ten years later..._

"And that is how our first great adventure, led us home." Master Splinter finished.

The rat ninjutsu master kneeled on the ground, just finishing the story he was telling. And he had told it to his sons. In the years that had past, all four of the turtles had grown up. They were no longer turtle human infants, but now they were becoming strong children. And today, Master Splinter was going to give them something great.

Michelangelo had grown the least, being the shortest of the four. He was the only turtle with freckles on his face. However, his light blue eyes shined brightly of innocence. The young turtle had grown into a young turtle who was filled with joy and happiness. He loved to have fun with his brothers, although sometimes it was very hard to catch his attention and have him listen.

Ironically, the tallest of the four was Donatello. Over the years he had accidentally lost a tooth, which now formed a gaping hole in his line of teeth. Despite this, while his tooth may never grow in again, his brain had certainly grown a significant amount. Ever since Splinter had seen him turn on the light when he was an infant, Donnie's intelligence has grown significantly. And so, he even took over a part of the lair as his own lab.

Raphael had grown a lot, and it wasn't just his body either. His temper had grown so much that sometimes he would get into fights with his own brothers. But in the end, he would use his anger to defend and protect his family. Splinter could see that his second oldest son would become the strongest of the four, if he could ever control that anger and rage.

And finally, the one that changed the most over the period of ten years was his oldest son Leonardo. At the beginning of their new life together, Leo was in very poor health. He was unconscious for over half a year. Splinter was afraid that he would lose his eldest son, and he almost did, when one night the young turtle's heart nearly died out. But as fate would have it, Leonardo fought to live and was alive. Now, he was as healthy as ever, and becoming probably the most skilled out of his sons. However, his body wasn't as strong as his brothers, and he would often get pushed down easily.

For the past ten years, the rodent ninjutsu master began to teach his four sons the beginning of martial arts. After seeing them trying to copy him, he came up with a possibility to train them once they had become old enough. Though he had not given them advanced training, he had given them the basics, such has having them learn a few katas. Now, since they were ten years old, it was time to gift them a gift as they progress in their training into a more advanced level.

"Now," he said. "I have a gift for each of you, as we continue our journey."

He went to the back of the room and grabbed something off of the shelf. And then, he showed them to his sons. All four our their eyes widened at the sight that they saw before them. There, in their Sensei's hands, were four ninja masks. Blue, Red, Purple, and Orange. These were their colors.

"These my sons, are masks," he said to them. "One of the most important rules of the ninja is to keep your identity hidden. And, with these new masks, no one should tell who you are."

In a sense, what Splinter has said to them was partially true. Yes, ninjas are suppose to keep their identity a secret, but because of the circumstances, them being mutants, he wasn't sure that this was necessary. However, he still would give these masks to them as a sign of their training. And, to help tell the difference between them.

"Sensei?" asked Leonardo, whose voice was hardly above a whisper as he was nervous to ask.

"What is it my son?" The rat master answered.

"Could I...could I have the red one? If that is..." Then, Raph's voice interrupted him.

"I want the red one!" he yelled.

"But Raph I…" Leo began but once again Raph yelled.

"No Leo! I want the red one!"

"My sons, you must not fight over these masks," Master Splinter said to them. Only, soon after, Donnie spoke as well.

"I want the purple one Sensei!" he said to him.

"Eww, purple's gross," Mikey said. "Orange is cooler!"

And so, the four young turtles began to quarrel about which one they wanted, and which one was cooler. Splinter began to become irritated by this, so much so, he yelled at them.

"Yame!" he yelled. All four turtles immediately stopped, and sat down again. The master sighed.

"I am not giving them to you," Splinter said to them. They all looked at him with sad eyes. However, Raph's expression turned into anger as he began to lash out at Leo.

"It's your fault Leo!" he yelled. "He's not gonna give us the masks! I wanted one!" Leo felt a little bit guilty by this, until...

"Raphael!" Splinter scolded. "I said I am not giving them to you. However…" His expression changed as his hand clenching the masks lowered slowly.

"These masks are not just to be given out." The four brothers threw him a questioning look, as they had no idea what their master meant by this. Then, they noticed Splinter clench the masks tighter.

"These masks must be earned!" he yelled.

Immediately his hand rose with great force, carrying the masks with it. Once it was high enough, Master Splinter released his hold on them, causing the the four colored fabrics to soar into the air. At that moment, they all understood. Sensei would not give them the masks because they had to get them themselves. A task involved fighting over them.

Each turtle sprang into action. The purple and orange masks floated away from the group, causing Donnie and Mikey to follow them. Donnie reached up and grabbed the purple one, while Mikey jumped up and reached for orange one.

"I did it Papa!" Mikey screamed out in excitement as he grabbed the mask. Splinter smiled at his two youngest sons.

"Very good, Donatello and Michelangelo," he said to them. Both turtles smiled at him.

The blue mask fell into the corner of the room, while the red one floated towards the center. Both Leonardo and Raphael chased after it, each turtle being neck and neck when it came to the distance between them. The red mask landed on the floor, right in between the two turtles. They stared at it, and looked back at each other. In a second, they got into a fighting stance, each preparing to fight for it.

"I'm not losing to you, Leo!" he said to his older brother.

Said turtle looked determined to beat him as well. And then, at once, the two turtles ran toward each other, fists raised. They collided together, each one matching the other perfectly. Their bodies were in a standstill, holding both of them in one position. Seeing an opening, Leo swung his leg around, hoping to trip Raph. However, his brother was ready for him, as he saw Leo's leg coming at him, he jumped away, avoiding it completely.

Leo tumbled to the ground, as he had lost his balance when he swung his leg. Raph saw the chance, and ran towards him. Normally he would've been able to get up and dodge this, but Leo's strength had been used up after running after the mask. But, he had another plan up his sleeve. Raph jumped towards him, hoping to land a fist against his chest. As he was right above his brother, Leo used his legs to push Raph away before he could hit him.

The turtle landed on the ground away from Leo. But this did not faze Raph, or his determination. He gathered his strength, and ran at Leo once more. Only, Leo did not notice him this time, as he was reaching for the red mask. At the last second, Leo saw his brother ram into him, sending him flying. Pain shot up from his side into his entire body. The young turtle's body tumbled across the floor, and stopped at the corner of the room, next to the blue mask.

Raph grabbed the red mask in triumph, not even seeing the damage his brother was enduring.

"Yes!" He yelled in accomplishment. "Take that Leo! You see Sensei?" But Master Splinter and his two brothers weren't even paying attention.

"Leonardo!" Splinter cried out in fear, running over to his oldest son.

_**(1) **_Said turtle was lying on the ground, his eyes squinting in pain. Splinter ran over to his son, placing a hand on his shell.

"Raphael! You need to control your anger!" He scolded his son.

"But Sensei, he's fine! Look!" Raph pointed. They all turned to see Leo slowly getting up. No one noticed the bruises that he obtained from the fight slowly disappear.

"That does not justify for your actions, Raphael," he said to his son. "Anger can cause great destruction, to both you and those around you. You must learn to control it!" Raph felt hatred towards his father and spoke out against him.

"Why are you defending him Master!?" he questioned. "Why is it that every time the three of us do something bad we get punished for it, but when Leo does something bad he doesn't get punished. You love _him _more than you love us!"

This, for Raphael, was meant to come out for a very long time, but it hasn't happened till now. Donnie and Mikey stared at their older brother, shock coming to them as they saw him speak in such a way. However, as strange as the idea that Raph came to the conclusion of seemed, in a way they agreed with him. Whenever they made a mistake, they were scolded, and the opposite happened for Leonardo.

Leo stood up, ignoring his Sensei's hand on his shoulder. His Master backed away from him, as Leo stood in the corner of the room.

"That's...ugh!" He winced from the pain. "That's not true! Splinter loves all of us the same way. Equally!" Then, to his surprise, Donnie and Mikey came up behind Raph.

"Actually Leo," Donnie started. "Raph is partially true. Sensei seems to treat you better than the three of us." A smirk grew on Raph's face as he heard Donnie say this. Splinter's eyes went wide with shock as two of his sons were saying this to Leonardo.

When he had heard this, the eldest turtle stood there, trying to take all of it in. Not only was Raph accusing him of such things, but Donnie was backing him up as well. Even Mikey was standing behind Raph. Did that mean that even Mikey stood against him? Did that mean...they hated him? No, it couldn't be true.

"Sensei loves all of us!" Leo said to him. "Just because sometimes we do something wrong doesn't mean he loves one of us over the other!" Raph scoffed at this.

"Huh! Then how come you are always trying to please him?" He asked. "You're always trying to be like him! You're a liar!"

The younger brother came up and poked Leo in the shell hard, enough so that if his shell wasn't there, then there would've been a bruise. Leo flinched at this.

"That is enough Raphael!" Splinter yelled. "This has gone on for long enough!" But Raph wasn't ready to stop.

"I'm not done Sensei!" he yelled. "This is one time I beat you in a fight, and _you _steal all the attention! I wanted Sensei to notice me, but noooo. You always have to be perfect. Always have to show that you're better than us!"

He poked Leo once again, said turtle wincing in pain as he was push against the wall corner. A tint of red filled his blue irises, as if someone was watching the conversation.

"You never spend time with us!" Raph continued shouting at his older brother. "Mikey, Donnie, and me never get to see you. Because you're always trying to show off to us! You're always trying to make us look bad in front of Sensei!"

The two youngest turtles stood there in shock, not even trying to hold Raph back from saying these words. But even they had to admit that what Raph was saying was partially true. Leo barely spent time with them. Even when Mikey tried to get Leo to play with him, the eldest turtle always said that he had training to do with Master Splinter.

Leo fell to the ground, tears beginning to brim from his eyes. But something was keeping them back. His hand felt the blue bandana underneath, as he slowly began to clench it. Leo soon realized that this was the last one left. The one that nobody wanted. He was given the last pick. Did this solidify the fact that his brothers hated him? He wanted desperately to believe it wasn't.

"I HATE YOU!" Raphael yelled. And that was when he did the unthinkable: He punched his older brother in the stomach so hard that Leo had hit his head against the wall. Leo coughed up a bit of blood, causing it to fall onto the blue mask.

"You're the worst brother I ever had! All you do is make our lives miserable! I WISH YOU NEVER EXISTED!"

Finally satisfied at what he had said, Raphael began to calm down. The two youngest brothers, as well as their Sensei, had horrified looks on their face, as if they had just witnessed a murder.

Before they had a chance to say anything, the eldest turtle, clenching the blue mask in hand, raced away from the dojo, with great speed that barely anyone could match.

"LEONARDO!" Splinter cried out in agony as he watched his oldest son run away. By the time he had gotten to the dojo entrance, the turtle was already gone. Donnie and Mikey had caught up to their Sensei. Raph slowly began to realize what had happened, since his anger has dissipated.

"Leo!" he cried out. "I'm sorry!" He hoped his brother heard him.

On the other side of things, Leo ran through the sewers with astonishing speed, something that he didn't remember having up until this point. But he didn't care. At this point, the turtle had realized that his family hated him. Raph most certainly hated him. Donnie and Mikey stood up for Raph, so they hated him as well. And Master Splinter...at that point Leo didn't know what to think. Was his love an entire lie? He, as well as his other two brothers, did nothing to stop Raph from saying such things. So it must've been true.

After such a long time, the young turtle heard the sound of roaring water. He followed a pathway, which was next to flowing water. From there he followed the sound of the roar and kept running, not once looking back to see if his family, who hated him, was coming after him. Leo was catching his breath as he traced his hand along the wall of the sewer. The pathway no longer had other pathways linking to it, and now became one singular path. That was when he had seen it, the sound of flowing water from a waterfall.

This was where Leo has to make a choice, to jump over the fall or to not go any further. If he had turned back his family would've found him and probably punished him for his behavior. So, with no option left, he glanced over the waterfall. The water below looked deep enough to dive in to.

_'Here goes nothing,' _he thought to himself, clenching the blue mask in his other hand tighter. And then he jumped.

Leo was right, it was very deep. The turtle dove into the water, thankfully unharmed. However, what he had failed to notice was the fact that there was no land to stand on in the watery pit. Leo began to tread water, trying to think of a way out of the situation. And then, it got worse when he could feel rushing water beneath him. The pit was draining, and it was going to take him along with him.

The turtle began to slightly panic, as a slight whirlpool began to churn in the pit. He struggled to keep afloat, as the water tugged at his body. Soon, the current began to take shape, a giant whirlpool forming in the center of the pit. _Oh no! _He thought in fright. Leo swam desperately, trying to escape the swirling vortex that oh so wanted to pull him underneath. His eyes became frantic, searching all over the place for someplace safe. But it was no use.

At last, the current became too strong for him, causing him to be sucked towards the center, and underwater. Leo took in a big gulp of air, just before he was brought under. Donnie has told him that turtles could go without air for a very long time. He did not know how long he would be like this, or if he would make it out. All he knew was that his family, who now hated him, was not here to see his death, showing that he was a failure after all. And finally, after a short time, Leo succumbed to the dark embrace. _**(1!)**_

* * *

Hours later, the turtle woke up. He slowly lifted his eyelids. Once they were finally open, he looked at his surroundings. Leo soon realized that he was no longer floating in water, but on solid ground. He groaned as he sat up. The sound of running water could be heard next to him. Leo looked over and saw that there was a stream of water flowing by the stone walkway he was on.

"Where...am I?" Leo said. "What...happened?"

His memory was hazy, not remembering what had transpired or how he got here in the first place. He looked down at his hand, noticing a blue fabric that was below it. The turtle brought it up, and realized that it was a blue mask. Where had this come from? Did Master Splinter…

Then it hit him. His family. They _hated _him. His eyes widened in shock when he began to remember. The masks. The fight. The pain. The accusations. The flight. The water. Leo's head began to hurt. And then finally, those three words.

"_I HATE YOU!" _He remembered Raph saying. His family saying nothing to stop him.

At last, after what seemed like they were heard back forever, Leo began to cry. He stood up, threw the mask as far as he could away from him. It landed on the stone pathway not too far from him. The turtle then sat down again, against the wall, knees bent. Leo hugged his knees and rested his head on his knees. Tears streamed forth from his eyes.

"They...hate me…" he choked out. "They hate me…Why? Why? Ahhhh!" Leo wailed out in sadness.

The turtle sobbed, as tears streamed down his face. His body shook, as fear took over him. Leo hadn't cried like this in so long that couldn't remember the last time he did. He had always kept his feelings to himself. This was because Master Splinter had taught him to be the example for his younger brothers. He couldn't show weakness, he couldn't so fear. The turtle was the oldest, and had to protect his brothers.

And yet...they hated him. Why? Leo had spent time with his family. He would comfort Mikey whenever he had a nightmare, help out Donnie whenever he was working on something, heck Leo even spent time with Raph by either being his sparring partner or watching TV. The eldest turtle spent time with his Sensei as well, such as meditating, or rather attempting to do so, as well as other things. Raph had said that he barely spent time with them. Maybe he had spent too much time with Sensei. But still...he wasn't trying to be perfect. Leo wasn't trying to make them look bad. He _loved _his brothers. If they did better than him, he would be happy. He just wanted to become a better ninja.

Still, even with all this good treatment Leo had given them, they still hated him. What was it then? What characteristic about him did he have that his family hated? Was it because he was trying to be a good fighter? He had no idea at this point. All he knew that his family hated him, and probably never wanted to see him again. The sound of his crying echoed through the area. Leo was all alone. There was no one to comfort him. No one to give him support.

However, he wasn't entirely alone.

Leo did not know how long he sat there and cried. He knew it must've been a long time. However, something felt different. The turtle felt the atmosphere change around him. Underneath him, he could no longer feel the smooth stone of the sewer. Instead, there was a rocky surface. He could no longer hear the sound of running water next to him. Instead, the sound of waves was heard. Was he hallucinating?

_**(2) **_The turtle opened his eyes, which were now red from the crying. He looked down, seeing an entirely new floor. His eyes widened in curiosity. Leo then lifted his head and gasped at what he saw. He was no longer in the sewers, but in a very large, open cave. In the center of the cave was a pool of water. His eyes trailed to the center of it, seeing the reflection of the moon. Moonlight came through a hole at the top of the cavern. Had it turned to night already?

He slowly got up, his hands trailing the eroded but still uneven floor. Surprisingly, it wasn't wet. But for some reason, something that Leonardo didn't know, this place felt familiar. It was like he was here before, sometime in his life. But how did he get here from the sewers?

Leo began to walk around slowly. "Hello?" he slowly called out.

There was no answer. The turtle looked around the cave, trying to see if there was any way out other than up. Around the cave appeared to be blue lights, which was oddly strange. Then, he noticed something even stranger. At one area of the cave, there were giant steel bars. In the middle was wording that Leo couldn't make out.

So, curious to learn more, he walked over to the giant bars. To him it looked like a giant prison inside the cave, meant to hold something back. What that said something was he didn't know. As he got closer, Leo was able to read the words on the middle bar. Eight Trigrams Seal.

What the heck was that? An Eight Trigrams Seal? He had absolutely no idea what this meant. The middle bar looked climbable, so he came up to it, put his hands and feet on it, and began to traverse up it. At once he seemed to forget the fact of what happened between him and his family. Leo became so focused on what this was, and he wanted to find out.

At last he reached the top. Leo saw that the thing that said Eight Trigrams Seal on it was just a piece of paper. He peeled it up, seeing something very complicated underneath. This, he assumed, was the lock.

"Arrggghh!" he groaned, as he used his hands to tug at it. The turtle used his feet as support, while his hands attempted to shake the middle bar. However, it was no use. The piece of paper fell back on the lock.

"**You won't be able to open it, brat," **A voice echoed throughout the cavern.

This, in turn, startled Leonardo. He lost his hold on the middle bar, and fell towards the ground.

"Ahhhh!" he cried out. The young turtle covered his eyes in fright, anticipating himself hitting the ground. However, instead of feeling the hard rocky ground, he felt something soft beneath him. He opened his eyes, and saw orange fur, and lots of it. The fur felt soft, and familiar.

Leo looked over to his side, and noticed he was lying on a big orange thing, which was keeping him above the ground. He gasped at the sight, and noticed that the orange thing had come from between the metal bars. Slowly but surely, it moved the turtle closer and closer to the bars. Finally, the turtle was taken through the bars with ease.

"Hello?" Leo asked, with a hint of curiosity and nervousness in it. He felt as if he recognized the voice somehow. The darkness seemed to fade away, as the owner of said giant orange thing appeared in front of Leo. To this, his eyes widened in shock.

The orange thing was actually a tail. Well, _one _tail out of _nine_. The figure in front of him was a giant orange fox. Its ears were pointy and long, just as any fox would have. However, the inner black part of its ears extended to around its eyes. Two sets of three black lines were on either side of its face. It had a long snout as well. Its paws had five fingers, almost human-like hands. And it had nine tails. Nine huge tails! The fox must've been as tall as a building! Leo wasn't even as tall as the fox's eye! But the most noticeable of all, was the giant red irises the fox had, which could probably scare the heck out of anymore.

But for some reason, Leo felt as if he knew this fox. Sure, he never seen this fox in his life, even when he was with his family, however it seemed like he had seen him. It wasn't on TV. It wasn't in his comic books. So who was this fox? Better yet, where was he? And how did he get here?

For a while, there was a moment of silence between the two beings. Blue irises stared back at red, the other doing the same. Neither moved, save for the fox's tail that the young turtle was standing on. They both held blank expressions, neither had a happy look or a horrified look. The fox did not bother to show his teeth, likewise Leo did not bother to get into a fighting position. Neither were afraid of the other. The silence seemed to last for eternity. Until…

"Do...do I know you?" Leo asked him.

The fox's eyes widened in surprise. His ears perked up high and alert. These actions didn't frighten the turtle. But, in the fox's mind, it was a whole other story. The turtle had recognized him? After ten years of the turtle not seeing the fox, he still remembered him. This surprised him, for he did not think that his memory would go so far back to the point of infancy. But, from the time he first encountered the turtle, he knew that there was something special about him.

The fox began to chuckle softly. It was definitely male. Leo turned his head slightly to the side, a questionable look formed on his face. "Is it something I said?" he asked. The turtle had no idea what was so funny for the fox. But for one thing, the chuckle wasn't one of a sinister origin. So that was somewhat of a good sign. He could not completely trust this fox, but he felt this fox wasn't going to pull anything yet.

"**I am surprised you remembered me," **the fox commented to Leo, his voice echoing through the cave. A smirk grew on his face. "**Heh! You managed to impress me by coming here!" **This confused the turtle even more.

"How do I know you?" he asked the fox. "And where are we?"

To this, the fox lowered his tail to the ground, allowing Leo to jump off and onto the ground. He walked closer to the fox, and said being lowered his head and placed it on his crossed arms. It was like he was in a sleeping position.

"**You know me," **the fox began. "**Because I saved your life ten years ago…"**

Leo's blue irises widened in shock. Ten years ago? Why did that sound familiar? Then it hit him. Master Splinter had told him and his brothers the story, but gave the full extent to Leonardo, just so his brothers wouldn't freak out. When all four turtles were mutated, he had gone unconscious for almost an entire year. His Master had no idea why this happened to begin with, but he had suspected it had something to do with their mutation. There was also the fact that from what he learned from Master Splinter, when he was still human and bought them from the pet store, the eldest turtle was not expected to live.

This further fueled his master's anxiety when they had mutated. He had begun to treat the four infant turtles as sons, not actual pets. And then almost a year had past, still taking care of his younger brothers who were healthy while he lay comatose, clinging onto life. Until one night, where everything came crashing down. The night where his heart stopped.

Splinter had tried everything to heal him. Of course, he could not obtain medical equipment because of his current state. He did everything he could, using old healing mantras. These however, still didn't work. It was at the point where his master had to hope he would live. And by some miracle, Leonardo's heart came alive again. It was as if some mystical entity healed him.

The turtle stood there in shock. Could this giant fox really have healed him? But how? Master Splinter would've seen the fox. Heck, probably all of New York would've seen him. He probably wouldn't even fit in the sewers to begin with! So how did he heal Leo ten years ago then? It did not make any sense.

"H..How?" Leo stuttered out.

To this, the fox moved one of tails towards the turtle. The soft tip of the tail touched the turtle's stomach area, or what would be his stomach area if his shell wasn't there. Suddenly, an area on his shell began to glow. Leo was amazed by this, as he saw a swirl mark lit up in blue. It flashed a few times, and then there was a steady blue glow. He looked up at the fox again.

"What is this?" He asked.

**"A seal sign," **the giant fox replied. **"And one of the most annoying ones out there. An Eight Trigrams Seal Sign to be exact." **

The fox used one of his tails to point above. The turtle looked at where he was pointing and saw the wording again. Eight Trigrams Seal. Leo was still confused by this. What did the fox mean?

"I...I still don't understand," Leo told him. He hoped the fox wouldn't be mad at him. But, the fox certainly was losing his patience.

**_'Keep it together Kurama,' _**he thought. **_'_****_He's not human. He doesn't understand anything.'_**

"Why am I here?" The young turtle asked. "How did you save me ten years ago?" Looks like he would have to explain everything himself then. The fox sighed, ears lowering. Leo could sense his distress. The young turtle became nervous.

"Oh! I'm...I'm sorry!" He blurted out immediately.

**"Hmm?"** The fox hummed.

"Please don't be mad! I...I don't want anyone else hating me!" A few tears came to his eyes, as he began to cry a little. The fox's eyes widened at this.

This reminded him of himself, when he was younger. Back when the old man had passed on, he as well as the other tailed beasts were sent to live in temples across the land. However, instead of being treated with kindness like the old man did, they were treated with hatred.

**"Heh! I am actually quite fond of you!"** the fox said to him. Leo looked up at him.

"R..really?" he sniffed out. He nodded to him, but there was no smirk on his face. The fox grew tense.

**"****I**** will give you your answer, since you do not feel afraid of or fear me. It is a long explanation, so listen well." **The turtle nodded, and sat down. The fox in return, sat up.

"What's your name?" Leo asked him.

The fox was surprised that he would ask about his name. **"My name is Kurama," **he said to him.

"That's a cool name," the turtle said to him. "I wish I had a name like that."

**"Your name means 'Lion,' I think it suits you," **Kurama stated.** "The rodent chose well, despite him just choosing it random." **He scoffed at the last part.

"How…?" Leo trailed off, but Kurama interrupted him quickly.

**"I am one of the nine tailed beasts, the strongest of them!" **he began proudly. **"I am from an entirely different dimension. One where shinobi roam the land, things aren't as advanced, and humans...tch! They are a bit more idiotic." **He paused for a moment, then began again.

"**Ten years ago, I was on a rampage through the Hidden Leaf Village, because a stupid human decided to take control of me! Even after being freed from his control, my hatred towards humanity still existed. And so, I tore the human village to shreds!"**

**"My terror only stopped, when a human was able to stop me and seal me!" **he continued, with a hint of anger added.

**"He wanted to seal me inside of his son, of all humans! But...this is where you come in." **Leo shot him a confused look.

"Me?" he asked. The giant fox nodded. "What do you mean by 'sealing?'" the turtle asked.

**"During your 'mutation' as the rodent would call it, those humans who caused the event were coming into my dimension. This was also around the same time I was causing destruction. So, instead of my soul being sealed inside the boy, my soul traveled to your dimension through a portal. To answer you question earlier, this place is your mindscape." **

"My...mindscape?" The turtle whispered to himself. It was at that moment Kurama lost his patience.

**"I am sealed inside of you!" **He yelled.

That was the moment Leo's blue irises shrunk to the size of pinpricks. This fox, no...Kurama, was _inside _of him? This place was inside of his own mind? The shock overtook him like a storm. The young turtle began to panic, breath hitches inside of him lungs. Did his family know about this? Was this the reason why his family hated him? Because of a giant nine-tailed fox being held within his body?

"Is this…" He choked out. "Is this why my family hates me?" Kurama shook his head.

**"No," **the fox replied.** "Your family does not even know I exist, which is a good thing for now." **Leo let out a sigh of relief, but was still shocked from what the fox had told him.

**"However, on that day, you became my jinchuriki," **he stated.

"Jin...jin..jinchu..riki?" Leo was having a hard time pronouncing it.

**"Those with a tailed-beast inside of them are called jinchuriki. It means 'Power of Human Sacrifice.' After your 'mutation,' your body could not handle my chakra. So, you slept for 9 months." **A growl began to rise in his throat.

**"I awoke, finding myself sealed, cursing the Hokage! That human had sealed me inside of that brat!"**

"**Although, it wasn't the brat I was sealed in. It was you. You were dying because of me. And so, I felt pity on you, and restored you. I have spent ten years sealed inside of you. I have felt your negative emotions. Your hatred. Your sadness. Your anger." **Leo's head was down, a feeling of guilt passing over the young turtle.

"I'm sorry," he said to Kurama. "I'm sorry you've had to be inside of me for all these years. I'm sorry I've made someone else in my life suffer!"

That was when the turtle broke down in tears. He kneeled on the ground, hands keeping him up. The tears streamed down his face quickly as he began to sob.

"I'm not fearless!" Leo yelled out in between sobs. "Everyone hates me! I'm a failure!"

All the while, Kurama just stared, eyes widened to the point where his pupils could barely have been seen. The shock was flooding his system. The turtle _apologized _to _him? _A tailed beast? The old man was probably rolling over in laughter in his grave at this point if he had ever seen the fox in this situation. All of his life Kurama had been treated with hatred and disgust, and now someone was apologizing to him for making him feel these emotion? What kind of universe was this?

The giant fox didn't exactly know what to do in this sort of situation. He wasn't that specialized in comfort. But it had something to do with encouragement, just as the old man did to him when he was younger. So, he brought one of his tails out and wrapped it around the turtle gently. In a sense it was almost like a hug. Kurama nearly choked at the thought of him giving a hug. He would never stoop that low in his life!

Leo felt the soft orange fur around him and looked up. He saw that one of Kurama's tails was gently around him.

"Why…?" He asked him.

**"Because, you are the first being since my creator to have respected me…" **

"Respected… you?" The young turtle asked. The giant fox nodded.

"**We tailed beasts have not been respected by humans for many years," **he began.

**"I have grown to hate humanity because of their treatment towards me and my fellow beasts. They have tried to capture me. Use me. Enslave me! I was sealed inside two humans before you, and they managed to keep my power at bay, all while boasting about it! But even when I was sealed inside of you, I had realized you were not human, but still acted like one. And my temper began to rise, thinking of what you could become."**

**"However, you are not the type of being to take advantage of something **_**or **_**someone. I have seen through your actions with your 'brothers.' Despite being the oldest, you have protected them, encouraged them, loved them with all your heart. Something I haven't seen in a human or any being since my creator. And when you were young, you had and still have the potential to become a great shinobi, despite what your family thinks of you." **

**"The reason I kept you alive was, and even my fellow beasts would laugh at me for saying this, I had hope in you. Hope that you would not fear me and abuse my power like all humans in the past have done. And I was right! Heh!" **

_**'Let's see if Shukaku could've come up with a greater speech than that!'** _He thought, boasting about his pride in the speech he gave. Although, it was something he thought he would've never had said. Trusting and hoping in his jinchuriki? The world must've been hit with a giant genjutsu.

Leo's tears dried up as Kurama finished speaking. He wiped away the stains on his face and stared up at the fox.

"Kurama?" Leo asked.

"**Hmm?" **The fox hummed.

"Will you...be my friend?" At this, the giant fox's eyes became white with shock, and his jaw slacked as his body fell over onto his side. Leo looked at him in a nervous way.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

The fox somewhat nodded and also somewhat shook his head. **"I am not used to be treated...this way…" **he could barely get the last words out of his mouth. Kurama then stood up, releasing his tail from Leo and pulling it behind him.

**"Why are you doing this?" **Leo's head lowered to the ground as he closed his eyes to think of the right words.

"You believe in me," Leo stated. "Today wasn't the greatest day. But, I see that there is someone out there who cares about me, who has hope in me. I want to be your friend because...I think you need one. You said humans have been treating you badly right? Well, I'll end that cycle! I want to help you get out of my mind! Starting here!"

That was the moment when Leo held out a fist towards the giant fox. Said being looked confused at what he was doing.

"It's called a fist bump," he explained. "Mikey said that if you're friends, you bump fists together. I don't know why, but I want to do it now. And, I've never had a real friend before. So, why not now?" _**(2!)**_

A smirk grew on Kurama's face, knowing full well that he had made the right decision to keep the young turtle alive 10 years ago instead of being reincarnated. He nodded his head, and extended his fist towards him.

**"Heh! Thank you for treating me as an equal! It is something us tailed beasts have waited for a long time, and will start here!" **

Their fists met.

That was the moment Leo felt a surge of power run through his body.

**"That is my chakra you are feeling," **Kurama stated. **"It is my life force meeting with yours, and can be turned into power of your own. The chakra you have is mine, which I gave to you ten years ago. No one in this dimension has chakra, which makes you unique. However…" **

He and Leo separates their fists. **"Your hands may not be able to do the signs for the jutsu to initiate. But there is a way around this. I want you to wake up." **

"Wake up?" He asked.

**"Leave your mindscape, and I will show you. Just think of leaving, and it will happen." **

Leo closed his eyes and focused. He began to think about leaving this cave, and returning to the sewers he had fallen asleep in. When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the sewers.

**"Good," **Kurama stated. Leo was shocked to still hear the fox speak.

**"You will be the only one able to hear me because I am inside of you. Now, I want you to do these three signs in the order I show you. I will explain later. First will be dog, second will be boar, last will be ram." **An image of the three hand signs appeared in his mind.

**"Before you do anything, think of something you always wanted to transform into." **

Leo questioned this, but followed him anyway. The turtle remembered a story a few years back, one that Master Splinter had told them. It was about the Greek hero Hercules, killing the Nemean lion, named Leo. At the end of the story, the lion was placed in the stars for its courage and bravery. After that, him and his brothers had played a game of 'Lion' where Leo himself was the 'lion.' Even though it was just a pretend game, the turtle himself felt more brave calling himself a lion than a turtle. He would be stronger and more skillful.

'_I have it,' _he thought in his mind, hoping that Kurama would hear. The fox did hear him.

**"Now do the signs," **he repeated.

The turtle began to do them. First, Leo placed his flattened left hand over his right hand, which he formed into a fist, making the dog sign. Then, he made his hands into fists and connected them while they faced downward, making the boar sign. Lastly, he brought his hands together, placing his left thumb on top of the other, while his other two fingers remained straight, forming the ram sign. Once he was done with this, Leo felt as if a gateway had opened in his system.

_**(3) **_**"Now yell, 'Transformation Jutsu!'" **the fox commanded.

"Transformation Jutsu!" the turtle yelled. To his surprise, there was a puff of smoke around him. He felt his body begin to change. Leo felt as if he was getting lighter, like something was lifted from his body and thrown away. Gradually, the smoke dissipated, and when it did, Leo was left with shock.

"WHAT!?" he cried out, his voice echoing through the sewer.

He no longer looked like a turtle, but instead he looked like a lion cub. Leo had no mane, since he was young. His fur was a tan color. The former turtle looked behind him and saw a tail with fur on the end. His hands had turned into paws, which had five fingers.

"Woah," he said, running over to the water. Leo saw his new reflection in the water. The only thing that didn't change was his blue eyes.

**"Heh! Figured you choose that!" **Kurama said in his mind. Leo couldn't see him, but the fox was smirking.

**"With this form, you will be able to perform more jutsu like you just did. In your previous form, you did not have enough fingers." **The cub's eyes widened at this.

'_How many jutsus are there?' _He asked him.

**"Too many," **Kurama stated. **"And still more being created. But I will say more on that later." **

Leo turned his head around, seeing the blue mask that he had thrown earlier. He walked slowly over it, still trying to get used to the fact that he just magically changed from a turtle to a freaking lion! Leo looked at the mask, contemplating on what to do with it.

**"I do not think your brother meant what he said," **the fox said.

_'What do you mean?' _Leo asked.

**"I have the ability to sense negative emotions. When you were running out the door, I could no longer sense the hatred in him. The opposite happened. He felt sorry."**

His eyes widened at this. '_He...he did?' _Leo asked him.

**"I do not think your brother meant it," **Kurama stated.

"**Those who are clouded by anger can say things they would never say. I would know. And your other brothers did not mean what they did either. They were scared. The rodent tried his best to stop it as well. Sometimes negative emotions hit too hard for us to pay attention to it." **

The lion cub then picked up the mask. '_I think I'll take it,' _he said to Kurama. '_I'm starting to like the color blue better than red. Plus it looks cooler!' _

**"That's not the only piece of clothing you need," **Kurama chuckled. Leo felt himself blush in embarrassment. He began to tie the mask on his face, but it wouldn't fit. Instead, he tied it around his neck gently, making it look like a scarf. Though, it was not the most comfortable.

**"We'll work on the clothes," **Kurama stated. And again, Leo blushed.

* * *

For a while, about a few hours, Leo walked through the sewers in his new form. He walked on two legs instead of four, trying to get used to walking. All the while, he talked to Kurama about anything, from chakra to jutsu, from history of his world and the tailed beasts. He learned many things, such as the traditions of the shinobi world, and how it was so simplistic. Kurama had expressed his shock when he saw how technologically advanced this world was.

Leo found himself very interested in the knowledge that Kurama said to him. He wanted to visit this world. It seemed more interesting than his own. It was one where he could walk out in the open, not having to worry about people shame him or being experimented on for being a mutant. Leonardo wanted to visit it, to see the nature and wonders of that world.

He walked until he saw something that caught his eye. A ladder. One the led to a manhole cover, and up to the surface. A place where Leo had never gone before. Moonlight shown through the tiny hole in the manhole cover, a sight that slightly intrigued the lion cub. He was tempted to grab onto the ladder, the climb up it and see the world above him. On the other hand, he was afraid of going up there. Sensei had said to not go up there, and forbade him and his brothers to ever go up there.

'_Should I go up there?' _he asked the fox. '_Before I go back?' _

**"The rodent won't even let you go up there when you return home. So go and get a good look now!" **He nodded his head, and began to climb the ladder. However, Leo heard a voice call down the tunnel, thanks to his now improved hearing.

"Leooooo?" a voice called. It was Raph.

'_No no no!' _He thought. '_I can't have him seeing me like this!' _

He began to climb faster up the ladder. At last, he reached the top and pushed on the cover.

The lion cub did not think. All he did was run. Thankfully Raphael didn't notice him going to the surface, a place where he would've been killed if his family ever found out he went to it. He saw another ladder, which led to a bunch of platforms and more ladders. He grabbed a hold of it, and climbed up it, not even having a second thought. Leo went up a few more platforms and ladders, until he reached the top.

He began to catch his breath, having lost it as he had ran up as fast of he could.

'_Where...am I?' _he thought.

**"Take a look," **Kurama stated.

Leo took a look around. He was on top of a building! How did he get up here? His eyes turned to the side of the building, as he began to walk towards it. When he got there, the lion cub gasped in shock.

The skyline of the city.

Huge, tall skyscrapers towered over the city. They shone brightly, as their lights lit up the night sky. Humans, _real _humans, walked the streets below, which were lit up as well. It was a sight to behold. It was something that Leo had never seen in his life before. Kurama himself, was also staring in shock. To think that this human world was so advanced.

'_It's...it's beautiful…' _He thought. '_I've never seen anything like it!' _Leo took in the sight for a little bit longer.

'_Is Konoha like this?' _The lion cub asked.

**"No,"** Kurama stated. **"But, I think it is better than this place." **He looked back at the city in front of him.

'_Do you think I'll ever be able to visit there?' _

**"I am hoping one day I will be able to go home," **the fox said. **"Where I can roam free without stupid humans bothering me." **

Leo didn't speak to Kurama for a while. Then, he began again.

'_I hope one day I'll be able to visit there, and bring you home. I promise I will… And someday, I'll be able to come back up here to the surface.' _

After staying there for a half an hour, Leo began to climb down the ladder to the street. He lifted up the manhole cover and disappeared to the sewers below.

He took the long way home, trying to avoid any confrontations with his family. And thankfully, Leo was able to avoid them. After walking through the tunnels, he finally found himself at his home. Nobody was home. They still must've been out searching for him. He was happy about this. So, he quickly ran to his room and shut the door.

'_How do I..?' _he asked, not knowing what the exact word was for undoing the jutsu.

**"Release it?" **Kurama responded. "**Just think about yourself turning back into what you were before, and it will release." **

Leo got on his bed, and curled up and fell asleep. A smile grew on his face, knowing that today, while it may have turned out bad in the beginning, got better in the end. He would keep Kurama's existence a secret from his family, and free him one day. Leo fell asleep and released the jutsu, turning back into a mutant turtle.

A half an hour later, Raph opened the door to Leo's room and gasped. There was his brother, all curled up in his bed, the blue mask adorned on his face. He was smiling.

"SENSEI!" Raph called as he ran out of the room.

He didn't know why his brother looked happy while he was sleeping. But Leo know why…

_...Because he had made a friend… __**(3!) **_

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 1! So, with all of my stories, here's some info!**

**Ok, I made the storyline a bit more different than Lone Rat and Cubs, well obviously, but I mean with the masks part. I'm assuming the turtles are ten, because I don't think Splinter would've started training them at like six or seven. (Well besides Leo in some canon I don't remember which) I thought it would be a bit more symbolic since the masks are basically their identities. **

**So Leo can use Transformation Jutsu! As the name implies, it enables the user to transform into something else, with the use of hand seals. Thankfully, the seals weren't complicated ones to use for Leo (if they were, I was gonna flip out about it XD) The reason I did this was A. He could have more fingers to do jutsu, because Donnie is obviously gonna notice why Leo has five fingers instead of three, and B. Even if there was a jutsu out there that could give Leo two extra fingers (which to my knowledge doesn't exist, correct me if I'm wrong) it probably would be very complicated and painful to switch in and out of, and C. I don't know why, but my headcannon for some reason sees Leo as a big cat XD also gives him a secret identity.**

**I tried my best writing Kurama. I will admit that this is my first time writing something Naruto/part Naruto, not the case for TMNT, I have written other stuff that's not up. At the beginning I tried to have him act like himself, hopefully eventually he'll get a bit better. I have been reading up on his personality, so hopefully I'll nail it at one point. **

**So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Thank you guys for the support on the last chapter! I really appreciate it! **

**Until next time, See Ya Universe! **

**Palkia**


	3. Ch 2 Leo's Daily Life

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back here with Chapter 2! Thank you guys so much for the support on the last chapter! You guys really enjoy this! But before we get into the story…**

**Dylan-A-Friend: Thank you dude! I'm glad you're enjoying this!**

**gwencarson126: I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you for your compliments in your review! Sorry I kind of messed with your feelings XD As for a human form? Hmmm maybe...you'll have to find out! **

**Here's the song list!**

_**(1) Naruto's Daily Life- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(2) Foreboding Skies- Naruto Shippuden OST 2 Track 14**_

_**(3) Unparalleled Throughout History - Naruto Shippuden OST 1 Track 16**_

_**(4) Mountain Haze- Naruto Shippuden OST 2 Track 22**_

**Alright, it's time to dddd-ddduel! Ok let's actually start lol**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT. Also I don't own the song that's in here too XD**

**Chapter 2 **

**Leo's Daily Life**

_5 years later...A day before the turtles' 15th birthday…_

The lair was silent that night. Everyone was asleep. Even Master Splinter, who stayed up late usually, was asleep as well. After all, the next coming days would be very important, so he decided his sons should get some rest. Donnie had decided to sleep in his room, which would've been a shock to his brothers since he often felt asleep in his lab. Raph was not kicking or moving around frantically in the bed. Even Mikey, who would often talk in his sleep, was silent as well. Ah, the lair was as quiet as quiet could be…

"HASHIRIDASE! HASHIRIDASE! SORA TAKAKU..."

"AHHHHHH!"

The rest of the song was not heard, as headphones went flying across the room, hitting the soft padding on the wall. They had flown with so much force that if there was no padding, they probably would've shattered into a million pieces. Thankfully, they just hit the wall and landed on the floor without a broken piece or scratch. Not in anyway damaged. The same could not be said for the owner of the headphones.

_**(1) **_Sitting up on his bed, now drenched with sweat because of the recent reaction, was a giant mutant turtle. He was definitely stronger, taller, and more muscular than he was five years ago. He wore no mask on his face or wrappings, as he he taken them off before he went to sleep. The turtle looked over at the clock on his nightstand. 12 AM.

"Kurama!" He yelled. "Arrggh! You know that every time you play that song, I hate it even more?!" The turtle could hear the giant fox laughing in the back of his mind.

**"Heh! Why do you think I chose it then? What do you think of your wake up call, ey Leonardo?" **

Said turtle, whose name was Leonardo, groaned in agony, as he placed his hand on his head to support it, the ringing from the most recent music attack still occurring in his ears.

"Of all the songs you had to pick that one?" He had to ask.

**"Well, it's better that the **_**other **_**one you hate," **Kurama mused.

Leo could imagine the fox having a giant grin on his face. He figured that there would be another time when he would wake up to this specific song. Every night, at some point during that time, the fox would take over the turtle's body and place headphones on his head. Then he would select a random anime song from his phone, set it to play at a certain time during the night, and set it to full blast. And fox did this. Every night. While Leo was sleeping. Well, the turtle did trust the fox that much. It was a good thing that Leo soundproofed his room, otherwise his brothers and father would be in here in a heartbeat.

He would never let his brothers in his room. There was too much stuff that he had obtained over the years that the moment his brothers saw all of it, they would begin to question him on how he got it. Like his headphones, and yes, even his phone. All of which he had gotten from the surface world above for the past five years. It was a feat that he himself was proud of.

Ever since he had come home that night, the turtle wanted to know more. He wanted to learn more from Kurama. Leo was so curious and wanted to see more jutsu. However, just because he was able to perform the Transformation Jutsu didn't mean he would get to learn more. The fox stated that if Leo learned to master his control on chakra at such a young age, it could risk his identity being found out. With chakra control came more strength and abilities, something that would become hard to hide when he was that age. Well, it would hard to hide the fact that Leo could punch Raph so hard that he would go flying across the room. So the fox vowed to teach the turtle when he was 15.

But even if he couldn't learn any more jutsu, he still had one, and it was one of the most important ones, the Transformation Jutsu. Over the years, Leo had learned from Kurama how to transform into other beings. The humanoid lion was one of his personal favorites, as he gained access to more amounts of strength and power, more than his brother Raph would ever imagine himself having. But that wasn't the only form he had access to. Leo had learned to disguise himself as many different things, such as normal house cats and even weapons.

Because of these different forms, the turtle was able to escape the lair with ease, his family not even noticing. Of course, there were a few close calls, most notably a time when his brothers and Sensei could not find him and were about to check in his room, only for the eldest turtle to come in from the sewers. Boy did he get a lashing. Since then, Leo's been on strict rules to not leave the lair without someone, and while it did annoy him very much at first, he found ways to get around it.

"Couldn't you have woken me up at like, I don't know, 5:30? Ya know, the time I actually get up?" Leo asked. He heard the fox chuckle.

**"You have no sense of humor do you?" **Kurama inquired.

"Of course I have a sense of humor!" Leo retorted back at the fox. "You just don't seem to notice it!"

**"Right, and I suppose that "prank" you pulled on the rat was meant to be funny?" **

"Well excuuussse me princess, not everyone can have a dark sense of humor like you."

Leo could hear the giant fox laugh at that. The turtle finally decided to get up and out of bed. Slowly and ever so carefully, trying to not wake his family up, he opened the door and closed it behind him, leaving his wrappings and mask behind. Leo walked past his brothers' rooms quietly, not making a sound. After all, he was trained to be a ninja, someone who working hand in had with the shadows and silence. He looked around the lair, making sure that Master Splinter wasn't up as well. Seeing the coast was clear, Leo made a break for the entrance and sprinted out as fast as he could, which was faster than many people could see.

Once he was out of sight, he began forming hand seals as he ran. Dog. Boar. And Ram.

"Transformation Jutsu!" he yelled.

A puff of smoke surrounded his body, and when it cleared, he was running on all fours. Instead of a mutant turtle, there was a large muscular lion. He had grown over the past five years, now fully supporting a mane. He wore a navy blue hoodie, with a symbol of a outlined orange fox head on the back of it that he had sewn to the hoodie himself. His pants were navy blue jeans. Around his neck was a blue scarf.

**"Ooo is the big kitty out to get me?" **the fox mused.

"The big kitty will kick your butt one day," Leo growled out. His voice was noticeably deeper than his usual voice, disguising his original identity completely. He ran through the sewers with astonishing speed, almost like he was the Fourth Hokage himself.

**"I think the big kitty will end up drowning in his own mindscape pool when that happens," **Kurama joked. Leo's eyes widened a little, but soon returned to normal.

"You wouldn't dare!" Leo laughed. "You like me and I know it. You wouldn't kill me."

**"Whoever said I liked you?" **he commented. **"I'm a tailed beast, not a pet." **

"Aww come on, you may think you're the personification of hatred. But deep down, you're a fox who has cynical humor, and loves anime." Leo could imagine the giant kitsune's eyes widening, the giant ears rasing, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

**"I do not like anime!" **Kurama roared in his mind. The lion thought otherwise.

"Really?" Leo mused. "Says the guy who was crying at the end of Your Lie in April, or was begging for a second season of The Promised Neverland. Or how about the time when.."

**"Shut up!" **Kurama stated with anger, but not in hatred. **"You were crying too!" **

"Oh sure, I was sad, but I wasn't the one balling my eyes out when Ac..."

"**Rggghh Leonardo!" **The fox roared. The lion was just laughing with pure joy.

"See? I do have a sense of humor! I just get it from you!" he replied.

**"I'm gonna play the most annoying song tomorrow! That **_**one**_**!" **That was when Leo's laughter dissipated and was then filled with worry.

"Wait wait wait! I didn't mean it like that! Please Kurama! Don't play that one! You like me!"

The night continued with laughter and training. Leo practiced his katas, and trained with his katanas, twin swords that were given to him by Master Splinter as his signature weapon when he and his brothers were twelve. Mostly every night, the lion would train in a secret area in the sewers, away from the lair so he wouldn't be discovered. Since the time he first learned the Transformation Jutsu, Leo wanted to be more skilled in his lion form. But he wouldn't have been able to train out in the open, so he and Kurama found a secret place in the sewers.

After a few hours, Leo was tired and sweating. He pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time. 3:30 AM. He knew he would have to get back home. Master Splinter usually got up at about 5 to do morning meditation. The lion began to run home, so his family wouldn't suspect where he was. He wished he could do some actual training, like in chakra and jutsu. Something interesting...hmm...maybe..

"Ya know Kurama," Leo began. "Tomorrow is my 15th birthday…"

**"No," **The fox stated.

"And the 5 year anniversary…"

**"No," **Kurama said again.

"And I was thinking…" **"No." **

"That I could buy you ice cream.."

**"Hmm?" **Now Kurama was interested.

"If you teach me more jutsu..?"

**"Hrrrmm,"** the fox groaned. He had a feeling that it was going to come to this.

**"I'll think about it…" **

"Yes!" Leo exclaimed. "What flavor do you want? Chocolate? Vanilla? Mint Chocolate Chip?"

**"Mint Chocolate Chip," **Kurama stated.

"Hey that's my favorite flavor," Leo said.

**"Because you got it from me!" **the fox laughed.

Leo made it home before 5 AM. Once he came near the lair, he released the jutsu and turned back into a turtle. He slept for a few hours, until, on a very rare occasion, he heard his actual alarm instead of another one of Kurama's music attacks. Leo sat up from his bed, and began to put his wrappings and mask on. Before he put the blue colored mask on, he began to think back.

"I can't believe it's been five years," he said. "Time flies that fast I guess."

**"You'll realize time flies when you're about to turn 1,000 years old," **Kurama replied dryly.

"Wait you're turning 1,000?! When?! I thought you were older than that!" Leo said.

**"Well the Ten-Tails was in a sense 'created' almost 1,000 years ago, and since I was a part of said tailed beast, I am almost that age." **

"So when's your birthday?" Leo asked.

**"If you mean by 'creation day,' it's tomorrow."**

"Why didn't you tell me!?" the turtle exclaimed. "I wanted to get you something!"

**"Well it's hard to get me something when I'm sealed in someone," **Kurama replied.

"Oh...right," Leo said. "I'll think of something to get you. I promise."

He felt the mask between his fingers. The fabric was smooth and soft. It was softer than the other masks for some reason. He didn't know whether or not they were made by the same manufacture, but he could tell that this one was different than the others.

"**You still like the color red?" **Kurama asked. Leo sighed.

"I don't know. I somewhat like it, but blue's been growing on me."

**"Blue is the color of positive chakra, if that gives you any influence," **the kitsune noted.

"I guess," Leo said. He finally put the blue mask around his head, fitting it to make sure it stayed on. After all of wrappings were on, Leo opened the door and went out into the hallway.

'_Boy do I have an interesting life..' _he thought. _**(1!)**_

* * *

After breakfast and morning training, the brothers were all in the lair doing whatever they wanted to do. Donnie was in his lab working on experiments. Raph was busy punching a dummy. Leo, well everyone assumed Leo was in his room. And Mikey was playing videos games. The youngest turtle mashed at the buttons on his controller. On the screen two characters played against each other. One was Luigi, which Mikey was playing as. The other was a CPU, Mewtwo.

"Come on! Come on!" Mikey exclaimed.

Unfortunately for him, he was doing very poorly. Each were at 100% damage. Any more and one of the fighters would lose. The Mewtwo was too fast for Mikey's Luigi. It landed a Shadow Ball, and Luigi went flying off of the stage.

"GAME!" The announced called.

"Awww!" Mikey cried out. "I was so close to beating him! I need to fight him again. I can…"

It was probably not the best idea for Raph to be in the same room as his youngest brother.

"Mikey!" he yelled. "Can you go and yell somewhere else? It's annoying!" Mikey began to pout at his older brother.

"But I'm so close to beating him! I need to keep going!"

"Well could you go somewhere else and do it then?" Raph asked, slightly provoked. "Or like find something else to do? You're giving me a headache!"

"Ugh, fine." Mikey groaned, getting up from where he was sitting.

He turned off the game from the victory screen, still slightly annoyed that the psychic cat had bested him once again. He left the living room, and searched around the lair to find something to do. The turtle looked over at the entrance, and then got an idea.

"Oh! Oh! Raph!" he yelled to his brother.

"What now Mikey?" Raph asked.

"Can we go in the sewers? Pllleeeeaaaassssee?" he begged.

His brother thought about it for a minute. Going into the sewers wasn't a bad idea. He would be able to blow off some steam.

"Alright fine," he answered.

"Yes!" Mikey exclaimed. "I'm gonna go ask Donnie and Leo. Be right back!" He raced away to find his other two brothers. Raph shook his head and sighed.

"He has too much energy sometimes," he groaned.

Leo exited his room, hoping to go out and train more in the sewers. But before he could do so, he saw Mikey running towards him, an excited look on his face.

"Hey Leo!" he yelled. "You want to go out in the sewers with us?" The eldest turtle thought for a moment.

'_What do you think?' _Leo asked.

**"It couldn't hurt," **Kurama said to him. **"You did want to train yes?"**

'_But what about the training area?' _he asked. '_You don't think they'll find it?' _

**"I think it'll be fine," **he stated. **"It's on the other side of the city. I highly doubt that they will be able to find it." **

'_If you say so…' _Leo thought. "Alright, I'll go with you," he said to his younger brother.

Mikey's face lit up in excitement. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "Be right back! I'm getting Donnie!" The youngest turtle then sprinted away to find his genius brother.

Leo couldn't help but chuckle at this. '_Imagine if you were sealed inside of him?' _He mentally said to the kitsune. '_He would have so much energy he would be bouncing off of the walls and ceiling!' _

**"Heh!" **Kurama commented. **"Though his chakra control would be very unstable. I think he would've gone on a rampage through the city if he had my power." **

'_Do you think that will happen to me?' _Leo mentally asked. It was a question that he had held within him for a while.

**"It's not possible," **the fox noted. "**I would be able to control how much chakra I give you. However, it may come to the point where your body is feeding off of my chakra without any intention."**

'_Wait, what are you…' _Leo was about to ask, but a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Leo come on!" Raph yelled. "Quit standing around! We're going! And I'm not coming back to pick you up and drag you there!"

The eldest turtle sighed, and then replied back. "I'm coming!" He yelled.

Forgetting all about chakra control, Leo made his way towards his brothers, who were standing by the entrance. Once they got together, they headed out for the sewers.

"So why exactly are we out here Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"Uhh well, I was bored, hehe," Mikey said. The three brothers groaned. "Wait wait wait!" the youngest turtle said. "Can we play a game? Oh! How about Ninja Tag!"

Leo had a questioning look on his face. '_Ninja Tag?' _he wondered.

**"Probably just your brother's magical skill of naming things," **the kitsune chuckled.

"Ok, so what are the rules?" Raph asked.

"We run from the person who's it!" Mikey exclaimed.

"So it's basically just Tag then?" Donnie asked.

"Well, we can make the best out of it," Leo said, trying to lighten the mood. "Mikey will be it, and the rest of us have to be hidden from him. Each of us have to use our own skills to avoid him. The only rule is no going up to the surface. Everyone got it?"

"Hey! Why do I have to be it?" Mikey asked.

"Because none of us want to be it, bonehead!" Raph commented, slightly punching his youngest brother.

"Alright Mikey, turn around and count to twenty. While you're doing that, we'll go run and hide. Got it?" Leo said to him. Mikey nodded happily. He turned around and closed his eyes, placing his head against the wall.

"When I say go, you start, alright?" His younger brothers nodded. "3...2...1…"

_**(2) **_"GO!" he yelled.

All three turtles began to run. Donnie went left, Raph went straight, and Leo went right, at a very fast speed, in the direction of his secret training area. Mikey wouldn't be able to find him since the area was so far away. He no longer sensed his brothers nearby, which Leo thought was a good thing. '_Alright, this is gonna be fun!' _he thought to himself. He increased his speed, now forming hand seals. Dog, Boar, and Ram. Leo did not yell out the jutsu, as he thought it would give him away. A puff of smoke appeared, and once is dissipated, the turtle was gone, and in his place was a lion with blue clothing.

Running swiftly on all fours through the sewer, Leo was having the time of his life. Jumping over pipes, dodging objects, avoiding low ceilings, it was like a race. If anyone saw him run past, all they would see was a blur. At this point twenty seconds had past long ago, and Leo figured that Mikey would be searching by now. Finally he reached the large room in which he trained in. Claw marks were scratched on the walls, indicating areas where he had climbed up. Some parts were broken or shattered from hitting. It looked like a monster had been caged within it.

The lion jumped up towards the wall, grabbing a hold of it with his sharp claws, ones that could give Master Splinter a run for his money. Leo climbed up the wall, grabbing onto small ledges and pushing himself upwards. He was aiming for a large ledge at the top, one that was large enough for him to sit on. Finally Leo grabbed ahold of it, and pulled himself up. He sat down on the ledge, watching the entrance closely.

'_Good, now I wait about half an hour and then leave,' _he thought. '_He'll find Donnie and Raph first, and then start begging for me to come out. It's a good thing none of them really know their way around here.' _

**"You're taking a chance with your luck Leonardo," **Kurama warned. **"What have I told you about betting? Baka, now that you're betting, he'll find you here.****"**

'_He won't,' _Leo assured him. '_Mikey doesn't usually go far from the lair. Not even Donnie or Raph go that far. They would have to be insane to come all the way out here. Even Splinter wouldn't allow us to come this far. I've hid here before, and they never found me.' _The giant fox sighed.

**"I'm not helping you out when he does find you," **he commented. Leo got a little bit scared for a moment, but he regained his composition.

'_I'll be fine,' _the lion mentally stated. '_Just you watch. I'll bet you ice cream.' _

**"Heh! Challenge accepted then!" **Kurama replied.

Ten minutes had past, and Leo still sat there waiting. A grin was starting to form on his face, knowing he was going to beat the fox at his own game.

**"You seem happy," **the fox commented.

'_I am,' _the lion replied mentally. '_I'm about to win a bet against you for once.' _

**"I wouldn't be so sure of that," **Kurama joked, grinning with satisfaction.

'_What do you mean by…?' _he asked, but his thoughts were cut off.

"Leooooooo," Mikey's voice rang through the sewers. That was the moment Leo began to panic, eyes widening in fear.

'_No no no!' _he mentally screamed.

**"Yes yes yes," **the fox laughed. The lion knew that there was only one tunnel that lead to here, and if he was hearing Mikey, it meant that his youngest brother was coming close to here.

'_This is bad! Why are you happy?! We're gonna be dead!' _

**"Just release the jutsu," **Kurama suggested.

'_I can't just do that!' _Leo mentally growled. '_Because A. Mikey's gonna wonder how I got up on this ledge, B. He's gonna wonder why I disobeyed Sensei to come out here, and C. He's gonna ask about the claw marks! If he finds me here, I'm dead! There goes my training area, there goes my respect, not to mention I will be grounded and probably never be able to go out on my own ever again, and there goes the fact of asking Splinter to let all of us go to the surface tomorrow!' _

**"Can you at least disguise yourself as something?" **Kurama noted.

'_Everything's broken! Because I broke it through training! Face it Kurama, we're both dead!' _

The giant fox's eyes widened. "**Oh…" **he trailed off.

'_Exactly...This is why I don't make any bets with you!' _Leo was scared, or rather terrified. Something that he had been hiding for five years was about to be discovered. He was so in trouble.

"You down here Leo?" Mikey's voice echoed louder, signifying that he was coming closer. "I found Donnie and Raph already! I just have to find you!"

**"Curse your brothers for not finding better hiding spots!" **the kitsune roared in Leo's mind.

The lion grabbed his head with his paws as the fox roared in anger. Unfortunately for Leo, he got a dosage of curses and a very long list of profanities. Once he stopped, and when Leo's head stopped hurting, he let go of his head.

'_Do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?!' _He mentally asked.

The giant kitsune thought for a moment. Then something came to his mind. It could work, since Leo hadn't actually done this yet.

**"I have one," **the fox answered.

'_Good!' _Leo heart leapt for joy. '_What is it?' _

**"You're going to do a jutsu. Now listen very carefully, because this will be difficult for you to do. You remember the the hand seals I showed you?" **

'_Yes,' _the lion replied. '_Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Snake, Ox, Dog, Horse, Tiger, Boar, Ram, and Hare. Which ones do I use?' _

**"Use them in this order: Boar, Dog, Bird Monkey, and Ram." **

The lion began doing the signs. He already knew Dog, Boar, and Ram because of his Transformation Jutsu. The other two he had never worked with before, but Kurama had shown him what they had looked like, so he got an idea of what to do. He did the signs quickly, matching them perfectly. Leo could feel his own chakra flowing through his body.

'_Okay, now what? Wait, am I supposed to yell out the jutsu?! Mikey's going to hear me!' _

**"Slam your palm on the ground," **the kitsune answered.

'_Wait are you serious?!' _Leo replied. "_The ledge isn't that stable! It'll collapse!' _

"Guys I think he went this way!" He heard Mikey's voice, now even closer that before.

The fact that he mentioned "guys" meant that Raph and Donnie were with him. To this, the kitsune pulled Leonardo into his mindscape. Leo could now see the giant fox glaring down at him, a wide grin on his face. There was a cynical look on his face.

**"So, I'm assuming you do want to die tonight?" **He replied.

"I'm going!" Leo answered, escaping his mindscape with ease.

He slammed his palm onto the ground, having enough force for the ledge to crack and break. It began to break apart and collapse. But before he could fall with the ledge, smoke began to surround him. In an instant, Leo was gone from sight. The smoke cleared, as the rest of the ledge tumbled down to the bottom of the room, leaving no remanent of any ledge there. That was when Mikey ran into the room, with Raph and Donnie trailing behind. _**(2!)**_

* * *

A puff of smoke appeared once more, this time in the air. Within it was the lion himself. The smoke dissipated, and Leo saw himself in the air. "Oh no…" he said, realizing that he was above ground.

"Ahhhhhh!" He screamed as he fell towards the ground.

He wasn't up that high, but he was definitely high enough to be considered unusual. Well, that is if lions could fly anyway. He hit the ground, dirt covering his face and body. The lion groaned getting up, wondering where the heck he was. He looked around and gasped.

He was no longer in the sewers, but outside, in a very large forest. Trees towered over him, providing shade. The grass was green beneath him. The air smelled clean, not having the smells of the city within it, like gas and smoke. The sky itself was blue, not the old dingy gray like he was used to in the city. Leo was filled with curiosity and wonder. He had never seen an actual forest in his life. Sure, he sometimes snuck out to see Central Park at night, but he'd never seen anything like this.

'_Kurama, where are we? What jutsu did I use?' _Leo asked, having no idea what he did to get here.

**"You might want to ask **_**them,**_**"** the kitsune suggested.

The lion turn around and gasped. He wasn't just in a forest. He was between two beings, who looked like they were in a fight. In front of him was a large, gray-like dog, only it's fur was more shappy, its snout was longer, ears more pointy, and tail more bushy. Behind him was a large deer, antlers large and skinny, muscular legs, and eyes that could pierce into anyone's soul. He had landed in a fight between a wolf and a deer. And the lion was caught in the middle.

'_Well, what do I do then?' _he pondered. '_Should I help one side? I'm already caught in the middle anyway.' _

**"You must choose for yourself," **Kurama stated.

Leo became confused. '_Well thanks for the help then,' _he internally sighed.

The lion looked back and forth, between the wolf and the deer. Kurama had said to him a while ago that because he was the kitsune's jinchuriki, he had a few certain abilities that he inherited from him. Some of these included fast healing, and the the ability to sense negative emotions. The fox theorized that was why Leonardo took the events of five years ago so hard. The negative emotions he had sensed from his younger brother overwhelmed him, having never experienced strong emotions like that before.

Leo looked over at the wolf, sensing hatred, and a very good amount of it. He turned back to the deer, but he did not sense the hatred that came from the wolf. It was something else, something that he couldn't describe. The deer wasn't bad. Leo got up on all fours, his back facing the deer. He turned his head towards the wolf, teeth bared. The lion growled which then turned into a roar.

"RRRAAAAAAA!" he roared.

The wolf's ears pulled back in fright, its tail going in between its legs. Its eyes widened in fear, and immediately ran away terrified from the lion's roar. Once the wolf was out of sight, Leo relaxed a little. He stood up on two legs, his shoulders relaxing. '_Well, that wasn't so bad,' _he thought.

"It's okay now," Leo assured the deer behind him. "It's…" He turned around and was shocked. "Ah!" he jumped back in surprise.

_**(3) **_There wasn't a normal deer there anymore. In its place was a humanoid stag, standing on two legs. It was taller than Leo himself. The front legs had turned into long humanoid arms. The two front hooves became long hands with five fingers. The white fur on its chest was raised upwards, and light brown fur seemed to dance all along his body. The antlers on its head were more horizontal than vertical, and more organized. Its pupils here squared shaped, something that Leo noticed while it stared at him. The two stood in silence for a minute.

"I knew you would come here," the deer spoke to him.

Leo didn't think this being could actually _speak. _Nor did he think it would change into _that. _The lion stood there in silence and awe. How did he know that both him and Kurama would be coming here. And better yet, how did he know him? The deer lowered his head.

"You have questions, do you not?" Leo nodded his head. The deer turned his back to him.

"Good, then come with me." He began to walk away.

Leo didn't know whether or not to follow him. '_Should I go?' _he asked the giant fox.

Kurama said nothing. The lion sighed, then chose to follow the deer. In actuality, the kitsune was thinking about what had occurred.

**"**_**I never expected Leonardo's summon to be him," **_the fox thought. **"**_**Maybe a toad or a snake, but never this. I imagine he isn't taking this well either. But...this could be very risky. He chooses who has to die and live." **_

The two humanoid animals walked through the forest for a while. Leo didn't have a watch, so he couldn't tell how much time had past. As they kept walking he noticed that fog was beginning to roll in. The sun was still there, beams of light peeking through the fog. In the distance he could see a large lake which appeared to be calm. Finally, they came to a large mountain, with a peak that reached towards the sky.

'_I'm guessing he and I have to climb this?' _Leo thought. '_How is he supposed to get up there? He doesn't even look like he can climb.' _

The humanoid deer looked over at Leo, his eyes staring at him. The lion said nothing. It was like the deer had read his mind. Then, in an astonishing movement, the deer rose into the air. He was flying!

_'HE CAN FLY!?' _Leo's thoughts exclaimed.

"Wait!" he cried out to the deer. But the stag didn't hear him, as he rose higher. Then, he could no longer see him.

Without thinking over it first, he ran towards the side of the mountain and jumped as high as we could. Leo hit the side of the mountain, claws digging into its surface in order to hold him up. Once he was stable, he began climbing up the mountain, trying to find the strange flying humanoid deer.

**"What are you, Mufasa?" **Kurama chuckled to him. Leo slightly chuckled as well, remembering the scene in that movie. Though he couldn't help but notice that his kitsune friend was rather quiet.

'_Is something wrong?' _Leo mentally asked. '_You've been quiet.' _

**"Just thinking about something," **the fox replied smoothly.

This worried the lion a little bit. Usually when Kurama started to think about something, it was usually a bad sign that something was going to happen. Leo didn't like this situation either. Why was he following this deer in the first place? And why was Kurama not even saying anything?

He was about three quarters of the way up the mountain. A lot of time must've passed by then. Leo began to think about how long he had been in this forest. At least a few hours. Where was he anyway? His family was probably worrying about him.

'_I should've just released the jutsu and jumped down,' _he thought. '_Sure I would've been punished for going so far, but I'm going to be in even more trouble when I get home. They'll probably ask where I've been and why I was gone for so long, or worse…" _

The lion managed to grab onto a ledge, which was very sturdy. He pushed himself onto it, thankful that this would give him a break. To his surprise, he found a cave that went into the mountain. And in front of it was the humanoid deer himself, waiting for him. Leo's eyes widened in surprise. Why would the deer want him to come up here?

"I am glad you made it," he said to Leonardo. "Come with me," he gestured his hand to the lion for him to follow.

The deer walked into the cave, with Leo following behind him. Once he first walked in, Leo noticed that there were small torches on the side of the cave. The cave itself was perfectly carved out, as if it was man-made. "You can speak yes?" the deer said to him. Leonardo nodded.

"Speak then, you have questions, I can tell."

"Who are you?" Leo asked. "And how do you know about me?" They continued to walk down the corridor.

"My name is Shishigami," he answered. "I am the god of both life and death." Leo gasped at this. This deer was an actual god?!

"That is how I know of you. And it is also how I know of your friend that is sealed inside of you. Kurama, is it not? Speak, you will be able to be heard here."

**"Heh! I am not surprised you know of me, Shishigami," **Kurama commented. Leo and the deer god could hear the giant fox's voice echo through the cavern.

"Woah," Leo said.

"All are able to speak here," the deer god said to him. "Whether they may be physically or spiritually present, mortal or immortal. In here, I am able to hear Kurama as well as his jinchuriki. This is a sacred place. You have heard of the Spirit Plane correct?" Leonardo nodded his head.

"Good," Shishigami said. "This mountain, Talbot Peak, is the only place in the world where the unreal and real meet each other."

"So this place is the Spirit Plane?!" Leo exclaimed in shock.

"Partially," the stag said to him. "This is where the separation between the Spirit Plane and the Real World is the weakest. One can accidentally cross over to the unreal without even realizing it. Tell me, how did you get here?"

**"His family decided it would be fun to play a game of Tag," **Kurama replied sarcastically. **"He ****was cornered and there was no way of him getting out without him being caught with explanations, so I instructed him to use the Summoning Jutsu."**

"What's the Summoning Jutsu?" the lion asked.

**"It is a jutsu that enables the user to transport a target to their location," **the kitsune began. **"However, in order to be successful in performing it, you must have a contract with an animal and or its species. I had you use it because since you do not have a contract, you would've been sent to the location of the animal that they have a natural affinity for. Hence you would've been sent out of the sewers." **

"So, it's like a destiny in a sense?" Leo said.

**"In a sense yes," **Kurama answered. **"The animal that the person is affiliated with is usually chosen at birth. But I never expected to be your species, Shishigami." **Leo turned his head to the deer god.

"Is affinity with a deer very rare?" he asked.

"We have not had a summoner for our species for over 300 years," Shishigami stated.

"300 years?!" Leonardo exclaimed.

"Most people become affiliated with frogs, snakes, and slugs," the deer god began. "Rarer are birds, dogs, and monkeys. But our species is the rarest. It is because of our place in nature. We are gods. Having someone being able to summon us at will would be a total disaster."

"So why was I chosen then?" Leo had to ask. "That I do not know," he answered. "Animal affinity in a sense is random. Why you were picked to be my species' summoner I will never know. I knew you were my summoner from when the day you were born. I began to question how and why since this world has no chakra. It wasn't until you became a jinchuriki that I realized how you became it."

"You must've been worried by the fact that I was your summoner," Leo replied to him.

"I was," the deer god said to him. "I did not know what you would become, or even if you would ever come here. Having a summoner after 300 years does make one worry when someone can transport a god."

"That's why you were quiet Kurama?" the lion asked.

**"In my world, deer are highly respected and are considered gods," **the kitsune commented. "**Many know of Shishigami, the Forest Spirit, the god of both life and death. He is neither good nor evil, and can take life and give life at will. Killing a deer is considered a very high dishonor. I will admit I was nervous when I found out you were his summoner." **

"In some aspects, he is right," Shishigami stated. "While I am neither good nor evil, I do not take sides, however what I do is what is best for the forest. If there needs to be life, I will give it. If death is needed, I will bring death. I do not do what is for my best, but for all of nature's best."

They came to the end of the long cave, light pouring into it. Leo ran ahead of the deer god, wanting to know what was up ahead. Finally he made it to the end of the cave, and stood there in shock. In actuality, the mountain wasn't solid all the way through. It was hollow. A very large open chamber resided in the middle of the mountain. Light poured in from above, as there was a large opening at the top. In the center was a pool of water, where the light from the sun shined down on it. The pool appeared to glow. Grass and flowers grew at the bottom of the chamber.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Shishigami said, coming up from behind Leonardo.

"It's beautiful," he said. "I've never seen anything like it. I've traveled around the city before, but I've never been outside New York City before. This place is unlike anything I've seen." He saw the deer god point towards the pool in the center of the chamber.

"That pool down there is the entrance to the Spirit Plane," he stated. "Jump in there, and you will end up in the place of the unreal."

"Is that the only entrance to the Spirit Plane?" Leo asked.

"There's a bridge not too far from here," the deer stated. "But people keep breaking it trying to cross it, so this place was created. It's a pain trying to keep fixing it. Not many end up crossing it and making it out alive unfortunately."

"Enough with the sorrowful stories. We have something that is important to do, yes?"

A puff of smoke appeared around the deer god's hand. Once it cleared, there was a small scroll. It was blue around the middle and gold on the tips of it.

"This is a Summoning Contract," Shishigami stated. "We only have one since we never get summoners. You will write your name and handprint in blood on here."

**"Bite your finger and put the blood on your other fingers he means," **Kurama stated.

Shishigami opened up the scroll, revealing only one signing spot meant for him. Leo bit into his finger, tasting the blood. He began signing his name in the white rectangular square. The lion then placed a little bit of blood on the tips of his finger, and placed all five of them on the paper, forming a paw print. The deer god then rolled up the scroll, grabbing ahold of it.

"As of this day, myself and all members of my species will be summonable to you," Shishigami said to Leonardo. The humanoid deer bowed his head in respect to Leo. The lion did the same thing as well. _**(3!)**_

"I entrust in you that you will not use my kind to your advantage," the deer god said.

"I will hold that promise to you, just as I hold it for Kurama," Leo answered. Shishigami gave him a confused look.

"I promised him five years ago that I would do everything I can to return him to his world. And that, as well as this promise, is something I intend on keeping!"

The deer god chuckled at this. "You wish to be trained in chakra use yes?" Leo nodded his head.

"There is a special Senjutsu called 'Sage Mode,' in which the user utilizes nature energy around them to their advantage."

**"Are you saying you can teach Sage Mode?" **Kurama asked, with a hint of excitement in his voice. Leo was surprised by the fox's tone, as he rarely heard him this excited.

"In actuality, there are three types of sage mode that can be taught," the deer began. "The toads and the snakes teach the first two. However, the third exists within us, the deer. Nearly no one knows of it because of our status. I would say send Leonardo to to Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave, however I do not possess the power to travel through dimensions except the Spirit Plane. However, since he is our summoner, he would be able to gain access to this place, as well as ourselves."

"Are you saying that you'll be my mentor!?" Now even Leo was beginning to get excited.

"I can teach you the properties and skills of nature energy and other jutsu similar to it," Shishigami said.

**"I can provide basic jutsu as well as a few other **_**surprises," **_Kurama replied. "**Your fifteenth birthday is tomorrow. And I did promise you that I would begin to teach you." **

Leonardo couldn't believe his ears. Not only was Kurama going to teach him, but a literal deer god was going to teach as well!

"I accept the offer," he said, trying to sound serious.

**"Alright, let the excitement out," **the kitsune said dryly. Leo could feel a bead of sweat move down is face from his embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, yes! I've been waiting five years for this!" he exclaimed.

"We will start your chakra training the day after your birthday, just to make it easier," the deer god began, "Your training area in the sewers is no longer usable, so you will train here from now on. Since you signed the contract, I will be able to summon you here with the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, which allows me to summon someone who signed the contract. And don't worry, I will know when you are not busy and are ready."

_**(4) **_"However, you must keep this to yourself. Your family must not know of this. Even I do not know what would happen if they ever found out that Kurama was sealed inside of you. They may exclude you, shame you, call you a demon."

Leo lowered his head. Hiding the fact that Kurama was there to begin with was easy. But now with this extra training, it would be even harder to hide his new strength. He understood the risks that he would be taking it he started to learn more jutsu.

"I understand," he began slowly. "I love my family no matter what. If they… hate me, ostracize me, call me a demon, it'll hurt. But Kurama was there when I needed him the most, during times of sadness and loneliness. Times where I've vented, I've cried, and when I've been angry. And he still is today. I owe him for saving my life when I was mutated. I love him as family. That's why I want to set him free. I want to learn more ninjutsu so I can free him."

He started to become emotional, a few tears coming to his eyes as he talked about his family.

"I..I don't care if they hate me!" he struggled to get the words out. Shishigami came to his side and put his humanoid hand on his shoulder.

"You do care," the deer god stated. "You just don't realize it. Your life has been plagued with hardships. You thought no one understood you or was by your side. The events of five years ago proved that."

Tears were pouring out of his eyes now, as Leonardo sunk to the floor crying.

"You wanted to prove to your father that you existed. That you didn't die on that night. You wanted him to be proud of you. And also that your brothers would notice and acknowledge you. That is what you want, isn't it?"

Leo nodded his head slowly. Suddenly, he felt orange fur around him, and looked up to see Kurama towering over him. His eyes widened in shock.

**"You've already been acknowledged," **Kurama stated, a grin forming on his face. **"You are my friend, you were the first person to acknowledge me. Tailed Beasts were never treated with respect. Shishigami knows this too. We were always treated with hatred, and so we treated them with hatred. But you, you accepted me despite the fact of who I am and what I am. I even changed because of you, Leonardo."**

Leo wiped away the tears from his face. He leaned back on the fox's tail. "Thank you," he said to him, smiling.

"Do not forget that I am with you as well, always," Shishigami stated. "Even if I am not physically present, I will guide you through." The lion, now understanding, stood up.

"Thank you...both of you…" the lion said. "I accept the training. And I will do my best to keep this hidden."

"Good," Shishigami said. "We will start two days from now."

"Wait, how will I get back…" Leo started, but then was cut off by the deer god when he placed his hand on his forehead. The lion felt sleepy, eyes drooping. At last, he fell asleep against Kurama's tail. Said kitsune looked over in suspicion.

"Do not worry," the deer said. "I only put him to sleep. I am going to transfer him home myself. I see that you learned that you can manifest yourself outside of his body in here?" Kurama began to chuckle. Shishigami's face softened.

"Good, because I will need your help in training him. Both physically and mentally. He trusts you more than you can ever imagine."

**"His family isn't exactly perfect," **Kurama noted sarcastically.

"Which is why he looks to you," Shishigami answered. "You understand what he goes through, unlike his brothers. Not to mention that there will be bigger threats in the future to his life and yours."

"Finally, this must be kept between you and me. He must not know of this until the time is right. Understand?" Kurama nodded his head.

"When you gave him your chakra in order to survive all those years ago, you didn't give him just normal chakra, you gave him Tailed-Beast chakra. If something were to happen to him, then that would mean…"

Kurama lowered his head to the deer god. Said deer began to whisper in the giant kitsune's ear. Kurama's eyes widened in shock when he head what Shishigami had to say. Once he was done. The fox lifted his head up again.

**"I did not think that would happen," **Kurama stated truthfully. **"You would know obviously. I wouldn't." **

"That is why I am asking you to protect him," Shishigami answered. "He mustn't know. If he finds out too prematurely, it'll end in despair. Leonardo will go into depression and unbelievable sadness when he finds out the truth. You must keep this from his enemies as well."

"I suggest that you don't go to your world anytime soon. There is an organization, Akatsuki it's called, that's after all of the Tailed Beasts." Kurama's ears raised up in concern.

"Believe me, I know you want to punish those who are after your brethren, but you mustn't go back now. No one there knows that you are alive, they all think you've died. Not even the Akatsuki."

"I do not know why they are after all of you, but what I do know is that they haven't captured any at this time, which is good. It will take time for them to even capture one of you, but I am hoping they don't. But, it is best to remain in this world for the time being, so that they do not know that you are alive or what I just told you. You understand, yes?"

Kurama nodded his head. "Good, then I entrust you to Leonardo. Do whatever you can."

That was when the giant fox's form became surrounded in a puff of smoke. Once the smoke cleared, he was gone, having returned to Leo's mindscape. The humanoid deer sighed, knowing that he would have a lot of work ahead of him. He touched the lion, releasing the Transformation Jutsu. He was now a mutant turtle once more. Shishigami picked up the turtle, and immediately transported both of them to the sewers of New York.

* * *

Splinter had been searching for an hour or two, trying to find his lost son. After his three other sons came home without Leonardo, he as well as the three turtles went searching. None had found any trace of the eldest turtle. This worried Splinter very much. He had searched in many of the tunnels, hoping to find him. Unfortunately he had no such luck.

"Hrrmmm," A low grunting sound was heard.

The rat master's ears perked up, and began to run in the direction of the noise. He ran through a straight tunnel, coming to a drop off. Splinter looked over it, only to be met with shock.

"Leonardo!" he cried out.

But that wasn't the only thing with Leo. There was a large stag next to him. Why was there a deer in the sewers?

He began to climb down steadily, without much difficulty. Once he reached the bottom, the rat master immediately ran to his son to make sure he was alright . He kneeled in front of the poor turtle, checking for a pulse. Surprisingly, there was a very strong pulse. His ears relaxed, as the thought of his son being very injured or possibly dead left his mind. Splinter looked up and noticed the deer was gone.

"Urrmmm," Leo was beginning to stir.

Forgetting about the deer, Master Splinter turned his attention to his eldest son. "Leonardo?" he asked.

Said turtle's eyes began to open. Soon, he could see the entirety of Leo's eyes. "My son. Are you alright? Speak if you can."

"Sen...sei?" Leo managed to say but with difficulty. He was still drowsy. "Where...are we?"

"Do you remember what happened my son?"

Leo looked over to see where they were. He realized that he was no longer with Shishigami, and back in the sewers. The Transformation Jutsu was also released as well. Leo looked over to see a ledge, and made up an excuse.

"I think I…I think I fell.." the eldest turtle said to his master.

His eyes closed again, for whatever the deer god used on him was still very strong.

"It is alright Leonardo," Splinter said to him. "I will take you home. Rest for now."

"That sounds...nice," he said, looking back at his father.

The humanoid rat picked up his son gently, minding that fact there still could be injuries. Carrying him in his arms, like he had done all those years ago, Splinter carried his son home.

What they didn't notice was the fact that Shishigami was still watching them.

'_I will help you,' _he vowed. '_I will help you obtain your true power and become one with it. It will be challenging. I hope you are ready…' _The deer god disappeared from sight. _**(4!)**_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 2! Yee! Alright, let's get into some stuff!**

**Five years have passed since the first chapter. I know, maybe some of you wanted to get a sneak peek into Leo's five year journey with Kurama, but I will save that for another day. As for the stuff in his room, that will be explained later on as well. I want surprises!**

**Ah yes, the random deer shows up in this. Ever since the episode 'Vision Quest' I have always been intrigued by him. And yet he is never brought up again! I mean come on! Ah well. Now he's in here! His name, Shishigami, which means 'Forest Spirit,' is actually the same god from the movie 'Princess Mononoke.' So congrats to those who picked up on the reference. And those of you who have watched the movie, you will know of his abilities. Those will come into play during this story. For those of you who don't know, well you'll have fun when you find out!**

**Ok, so I made up a thing about Sage Mode in this chapter. Only toads and snakes can teach it, but I decided to add in deer just because. Also deer have the rectangular shaped pupils just like the frogs in the anime do. Also also I thought it would be fitting for Shishigami to be a sage to begin with, since he is the god of both life and death. And yes, I said earlier that nature energy doesn't exist in the turtle's world, but you'll find out. **

**Lastly, what did you guys think? I legit just had the sudden urge to write again! (maybe it's cause my laptop broke XD) Let me know! I love reviews!**

**Hmm, wonder what Shishigami said to Kurama…**

**Anyways, Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**-Palkia**


	4. Ch 3 First Time For Everything

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 3! Yee! But before we get into it…**

**gwencarson126: Thank you so much for the review! Honestly the mystic deer, or spirit deer, or whatever you want to call it deer has always been a mystery. So much could've been done with it, along with other things in the series. But the deer is my favorite plot mystery, and I love to explore it more. Also Princess Mononoke is like my favorite movie so I wanted to name him Shishigami.**

**I'm glad you also enjoyed Kurama. On Narutopedia, it's said that Kurama has a very cynical sense of humor. So I was hoping to get it sort of correct. As for your questions, you'll have to wait and see. But I will answer one thing. In Shippuden, when Pain supposedly killed Hinata, Naruto with the influence of the Nine Tails lost control and went berserk. So it might be possible… Once again thank you for the review!**

**This story currently has over 450 views! Thank you all of you who support this story! It means so much! **

**Here's the song list!**

_**(1) Sakura's Season- Naruto OST 3**_

_**(2) Afternoon of Konoha- Naruto OST 2**_

_**(3) Risking It All- Naruto Shippuden OST**_

**Time to get right into it!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT**

**Chapter 3**

**First Time for Everything**

Oh how he wished he could be out of here now...

Today was Leo and his brothers' 15th birthday, or rather mutation day Leo rather called it, since it wasn't his actual birthday. For his actual birthday, he had no idea what the actual date was to begin with, but Kurama suggested that it was probably in August since the turtles couldn't have been weeks old when they were sold to Splinter. For his brothers, the giant fox thought it would've been the end of August/beginning of September. Not only was it their mutation day, but it was also Kurama's 1,000th birthday, which meant the young turtle secretly had something for him that he didn't know about.

If only he could leave and give said surprise. Currently he and his family were eating dinner. Today's special was a delicacy, as well as the only thing they could eat for the past 15 years: Algae and Worms. They were easy to obtain, since Splinter didn't have to go to the surface to forage for food, and they provided a good amount of protein. Well, sort of, to some extent, ok not really. For Leo at least, they didn't provide enough energy to keep his chakra in check.

Speaking of chakra, he put his body into work when earlier they had evening training. It ended up being Raph against Leo once again. However, Leo let him win the fight, because he realized that when he was winning, he could sense the negative emotions of hatred and anger rise within his younger brother. So in order to subdue those emotions, and to get the giant fox inside of him somewhat of an early birthday present, Raph managed to beat Leo good. The fox got a laugh out of that.

Now he only wished he could go get a decent meal instead of this. As soon as Leo saw Mikey come out with five plates of the eerie green substance, he tried his best to hide his disgust, as well as the fact that he wanted to throw up.

'_Again with the algae and worms?' _He thought.

**"Eat out of the mini fridge tonight," **Kurama suggested. **"Your chakra levels will go down. And even I don't feel like eating **_**that**_**." **

Leo saw his brothers and father begin to dig into the greenish meal.

"Sensei," he began. "May I be excused? I'm not that hungry. I don't really feel like eating."

Leo pushed the plate away from him. Mikey, who was watching Leo refuse to eat the mound of food, suddenly got an idea and left the kitchen. The rest of his family however, had begun to notice that Leonardo hadn't eaten the algae and worms for a few days. Though he didn't seem to show any signs of hunger.

"Leo, you haven't eaten any food for a few days," Donnie stated. "You need to eat. Otherwise, you could possibly gain signs of malnutrition, iron deficiency, dehydration because we do get water from the algae…" Before he could continue further, Splinter began to speak.

"He is correct my son," he said. "You must eat. Taking care of your health is part of a ninja's training. Food strengthens both the body and mind."

The eldest turtle sighed, looking down at the food. '_At least they're noticing the fact that I am fed,' _he mentally noted.

"Really Sensei, I'm fine, I don't feel like eating." That was Mikey's cue to come in, only now he was holding something.

"Hey Leo!" Mikey exclaimed. "If you're not hungry for algae and worms, then you'll be hungry for this!" He placed it on the table in front of the three brothers.

Leo nearly wanted to throw up at the sight of it. Even Kurama, who usually isn't disgusted by much, was also trying his best to not gag or throw up a Tailed Beast Ball. On the table was something that could only be described as two whole cans of cat food being placed on top of each other. Only it was covered in a green slimy substance, and had worms crawling out of it.

**"Oh look it's last week's sewage treatment," **Kurama stated sarcastically. He nearly laughed at that, but Leo knew it would hurt Mikey, as well as make him look suspicious.

"Is that a...cake?" the eldest turtle said, trying to look at least a little bit interested in Mikey's nightmarish concoction.

"It is a cake!" Donnie exclaimed in fascination, as the family never had a cake before. Raph, slightly interested, reached his finger out and touched the cake, bringing a small amount of the substance to his mouth, tasting it.

"Made of...algae," he said. He then saw a worm crawl in it. "And...worms." Leo sighed.

"What's the frosting made out of?" Leo asked, once again trying to hide both his lack of interest as well as his disgusted look.

"You don't wanna know," Mikey answered, slightly nervous.

**"If your brothers dare try to shove that food in your mouth, I will personally take over your body and burn that abomination in seconds." **the giant kitsune sneered.

'_I will take note of that,' _he answered the fox nervously.

"Happy Mutation Day!" Mikey exclaimed happily, with a smile on his face.

"Happy Mutation Day!" Donnie and Raph echoed him, both putting on smiles of their own. Leo however didn't return the words, and instead stood silent, staring down at the pile of muck in front of him.

"Ah yes," Splinter began to speak, happily noting that his sons were once again turning another year older. He began to remember the events of the past that occurred in order for this day to exist in the first place.

"Fifteen years ago today, our lives changed forever, and we became the most unlikely of families."

**"If you consider being split apart into another being along with eight other beings and also being controlled to attack a village, and as well as becoming sealed inside of someone 'life-changing,'" **Kurama noted.

'_As well as going comatose for almost a year and nearly dying for three hours,' _Leo inwardly chuckled. '_And who's fault was that I wonder?' _

**"I blame the Hokage," **Kurama shrugged.

'_He probably wasn't that bad of a guy, whatever his name was,' _Leo said to him. '_And besides, I'm a good jinchuriki aren't I?' _

**"Better than my previous two," **the giant kitsune stated. "**But...still average," **

'_HEY!'_

"Tell us the story Master Splinter!" Mikey pleaded, begging to hear the story of their origin once more.

"Michelangelo, I have told it many times," Master Splinter to said to him, but this did not satisfy his youngest son.

"Please? Pleeeeaaaassse!?" he begged. Leo nearly rolled his eyes, but before he could stop him, Raph began to speak.

"Please, it's the only way to shut Mikey up."

"Ah very well," Master Splinter began the story. "Many years ago, when I was still human…"

Leo no longer paid attention to his father, as his mind began to drift off somewhere else.

'_Here we go again,' _he thought. '_Once again telling the story.' _

**"Only with the part about how you almost died edited out," **Kurama noted.

'_I'm surprised he hasn't told them about that yet,' _Leo said to him.

**"Would you want your brothers to constantly check on your health because of that one incident?" **

'_That, and he probably didn't want them to be traumatized,' _Leo said.

He then noticed Master Splinter hold up the broken canister, the same one that made transformed them into what they are now.

'_You know, we never found out why those guys wanted to go into your dimension with that stuff,' _the turtle noted.

**"Hmm," **the giant kitsune hummed. **"Imagine what that stuff could do to shinobi. Chakra natures out of control. They would become literal chakra monsters." **Leo didn't even want to think about that.

"That was the beginning of our life together," The rat master said, finishing his story. "It was the mysterious substance in this canister that, in a way, gave birth to us all."

'_And also gave me a death wish,' _the eldest turtle mentally thought. '_He even left out the portal as well. I guess that's a good thing, considering it's a miracle he didn't see you enter my body.'_

"Mom…" Mikey happily sighed as he had snatched the empty broken canister from Master Splinter.

**"Does your brother like to go on nice, long walks on the beach with that thing?" **Kurama inquired. Leo inwardly chuckled.

'_I don't know. But there's something suspicious about whatever was in that canister. It's definitely not normal. And those men couldn't have been normal either.' _

**"Aliens?' **the kitsune suggested. **"I have seen quite a few in my dimension." **

'_Possibly, but there's no way to tell for sure.' _Leo thought. '_For all we know it could've been something made by science. But the possibility of aliens is there as well because of the portal. And that logo...on the canister I mean. I swear I've seen it before when I've been on a run around the city. I think it's…"_

"Leo!" he heard his brother Raph call out to him.

"Ahh!" this caught the eldest turtle by surprise, as he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Are you even paying attention?" Raph said. "This is like the third time I called you!" Leo blushed, embarrassment taking over him as well as nervousness since he had been talking to Kurama.

"Sorry," Leo said. "I just spaced out. Yes Raph?"

"Isn't there something you want to ask Sensei about?" he inquired. The eldest turtle knew what is was now.

'_Do I really have to be the one to ask this?' _he said to Kurama. '_We both know he's gonna say no.' _

**"And what if he says yes?" **the fox asked. **"That would be one secret off of your 'List of hiding away your life.'" **

'_I guess,' _Leo inwardly sighed. '_But even if he stills says no, I'll still go out no matter what.' _The eldest turtle stood up, blue irises staring towards his Sensei.

"So Sensei," he began. "Now that we're fifteen, I think we're finally ready to go up to the surface, don't you?"

Each of his brothers turned to their father, grins on their face. The rat master stood silent for a second, then spoke.

"Yes," he answered.

"Sweet!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"Alright!" his brothers cheered. Leo stood silent.

'_Wait for it…' _he thought.

"**3...2...1," **

"And no," Sensei said.

"Aww man,"

"Lame,"

"I hate when he does that," his brothers groaned.

'_Ooo nice timing on that,' _

**"I aim to please," **Kurama commented. The fox paused, then continued.** "I do not sense negative energy coming from him. I sense nervousness." **

'_You think he's nervous about this situation? About us going to the surface?' _Leo said.

**"Maybe…" **the fox trailed off.

'_Now that I think about it, I don't feel any anger coming from him,' _the eldest turtle noted. '_I wonder…' _

"You have grown powerful," Splinter began. "But you are still young. You lack the maturity to use your skills wisely."

**"Heh, try 1,000 years rat!" **Kurama exclaimed. Leo nearly laughed out loud, but managed to keep it in.

**"I could blow up an entire city if I wanted to." **

'_Oh..right…'_

"So Sensei, isn't that just 'no?'" Donnie asked.

"Yes...and no," Splinter said. "Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from mistakes."

"Aha! So in order for us to gain the wisdom, we have to make the mistakes! So we can go!" Donnie exclaimed, a grin growing on his face. Leo wanted to face palm at this, but chose not to at the moment.

"No," Master Splinter answered sternly, as well as quickly to his intelligent son.

"And yes?" Donnie asked.

"No!" This time Splinter yelled. The purple masked turtle's smile faded away instantly. He held his head with his right hand as stared down at the table.

"Ohh…!" Donnie groaned in defeat. Leo shook his head slightly. He looked around the room, noticing both Mikey and Raph had their heads down.

'_I don't want to ask him further,' _Leo said to Kurama. '_I understand he doesn't want us to go up to the surface yet, and I do want to go up there as well. It's just…' _

**"You don't want to take responsibility for your brothers," **the giant kitsune stated.

'_Yeeeeaaahhh…' _Leo thought. '_I love my brothers, don't get me wrong, it's just every time I'm in charge of them, Master Splinter blames me whenever they do something wrong. And I have other things I want to do while I'm out there rather than stay with them.' _

**"Regardless, you need to have the rat grant you official permission to go up to the surface," **Kurama started. **"Otherwise it would begin to look awkward when you randomly disappear from the lair. And they'll know that you're up there staying out of sight, when in reality you're doing something else." **

'_You're right,' _the turtle inwardly sighed.

"Sensei, we know you're trying to protect us, but we can't spend our whole lives hiding down here," Leo said.

'_Well at least me anyway, I have a life debt I owe,' _

**"You're welcome!" **Kurama said happily.

The eldest turtle could imagine a giant grin on the kitsune's face. On the other side of things, Splinter turned his back to them, beginning to think about what his eldest son said.

'_At least he's reconsidering,' _he thought. '_That's something.' _

**"Put on the puppy eyes," **Kurama grinned. Leo nearly choked out loud at the fox's statement.

'_OH HECK NO!' _Leo mentally yelled. '_I am NOT doing that!' _

**"What if I teach you a new jutsu that you may find very useful?" **he said. Leo's interest was immediately caught.

'_You're joking, aren't you?' _he asked.

**"I am not," **The fox hummed.

'_Ok, what's the jutsu?' _

**"I'm not telling you," **he chuckled.

'_You've got to be kidding me. Is it a jutsu I will hate?' _

**"No," **

"_Hrmm, fine I'll do it. I'll trust you for now…'_

Splinter turned around, and noticed all four of his sons kneeling on the floor, with the biggest puppy eyes his sons could put on. Each were begging for their father to let them go up to the surface. It was a sight that the rat master could never say no to unfortunately. "Hmm," he sighed. Then his ears lowered in defeat.

"You may go. Tonight."

Immediately, the three younger turtles jumped off the floor and shouted for joy. Leo, on the other hand, sat down, a small grin forming on his face.

'_Well, that's one thing taken care of,' _he thought.

**"Hmm?" **The fox hummed.

'_Close your eyes for a minute,' _Leo mentally said to him. Kurama did what he was told, and closed his eyes. '_I'll tell you when to open them.' _

"High three!" Mikey shouted, which was their version of a high five, since they only had three fingers.

Raph and Donnie joined him. They placed their hands together, however Mikey noticed that someone was missing.

"Hey Leo! Come on, don't leave me hanging dude! High...oh?"

The three brothers, along with their Sensei, looked around the room for any sign of the eldest turtle. Only, he was gone.

Silently, Leo closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it. The turtle walked over to the side of his bed, where a small, blue and white mini fridge was placed. Leo has bought it with his own money, and surprisingly, there was an electrical outlet in his room, well more like three electrical outlets. He opened the freezer part of the fridge and pulled something out of it. Closing the door, Leo hopped onto his bed and sat on it. He laid down, with the frozen object in hand, and closed his eyes.

In an instant, instead of being in his room, he was now in his mindscape, which hadn't changed at all over the years. However this time, he wasn't a turtle. Instead he was in his lion form. Walking over to the bars where behind them was Kurama, he carried the object that he had obtained from the mini fridge just a few seconds ago. "You can open your eyes," he said. The fox did so, and when he did, he gasped.

_**(1) **_"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Leo shouted.

He held out something to Kurama. It was a carton of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. The giant fox's eyes widened in surprise.

**"HOW DID YOU GET THIS WITHOUT ME KNOWING?" **he exclaimed.

"I have my ways," Leo grinned. "So, what do you think?" The fox used his chakra to make the small container large enough for him and the lion to enjoy it.

**"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite friend?" **the kitsune said.

"I'm your only friend Kurama," he chuckled. "And this time, it's something we can both eat. No algae and worms."

Both the lion and the fox began to dig into the ice cream. Leo had to admit, he was actually hungry. He slowly picked at the mint flavored desert, while Kurama on the other hand, dug straight into the carton. Both lifted their muzzles out of the carton, which were now colored green from the food coloring. They looked at each other, grinning and laughing at each other as they noticed the green substance on their faces.

**"I want to ask you something," **Kurama said to Leo.

"Hmm?" Leo lifted his head out of the carton, revealing yet again the green colored muzzle.

**"Do you love your family?" **he asked. **"You seem to enjoy celebrating my birthday than your's and your brother's birthday." **Leo licked some of the green substance off of his muzzle.

"I do love my family, don't get me wrong," he began. "But, sometimes I think I want to be on my own. I just feel like I can't deal with everything they throw at me."

"I'm also a bit nervous about this situation. If we go up to the surface, Master Splinter's probably going to expect me to watch them, and if anything happens to them, then it'll be on me." Kurama licked some of the ice cream off of his own face, then spoke.

**"Perhaps, one day you'll be on your own," **the kitsune stated.

"Well I still owe you," the lion answered. "In order to set you free, then I would have to leave New York, and travel in some sort of way to even get to your dimension, which I don't even know how we're going to do that yet." Leo then changed the subject.

"So, do you enjoy your birthday present?" He asked. The giant kitsune licked some ice cream off of his muzzle once again, then proceeded to eat.

**"It's better than worms and algae," **he joked. **"But yes, I did enjoy it." **

"Sorry it wasn't much," Leo apologized. "I didn't find out about your birthday until yesterday, and I had to get something quick."

**"Heh, are you kidding? No one has celebrated my birthday before, other than you."**

**"Which reminds me, about that jutsu. I can teach you it tomorrow with Shishigami. And...there's something I want to give you for your birthday." **

"YOU GOT ME SOMETHING?" Leo exclaimed. "HOW?!"

**"Heh! I have my ways too…" **the fox smirked.

"Kurama, you didn't have to get me anything," the lion stated.

**"I feel like you'll need it," **the giant kitsune answered.

Both didn't say anything else, as they feasted on their mint flavored meal. Soon, it was down to half, and then finally down to nothing, the carton completely empty. The lion and fox looked satisfied, as well as full. Leo laid down on the ground, with Kurama doing the same as well.

"I swear, my stomach is like a black hole or something, even bigger than Mikey's," Leo chuckled.

**"The chakra absorbs the food and turns it into more chakra," **the kitsune stated. "**So you won't get bigger any time soon." **

"Did you enjoy your birthday?" Leo asked, looking over at the fox.

**"I did," **he admitted. The fox leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, I did too," the lion answered back, yawning soon afterward. "The best one I've had in a very long time…"

He fell asleep, letting the ice cream he recently ate settle in. A smile grew on his face.

'_This is definitely better than algae and worms…' __**(1!)**_

* * *

_A few hours later…_

All four turtles stood in front of their master, silent and respectful. Each were now prepared to go up to the surface.

"You are going up to a strange and hostile world," Master Splinter began. The rat master walked in front of them, with a stern look on his face. "You must maintain awareness at all times."

**"Remember, if for some reason Chinese food is flying at you, make sure to dodge it," **the fox chuckled.

Leo ignored the comment, trying to keep a serious look on his face while paying attention to his Sensei.

"Hai Sensei!" all four of the turtles responded.

As soon as they were done, they began to turn towards the entrance.

"Stay in the Shadows!" Splinter warned them.

**"In other words, don't go up to a human and say hi," **the kitsune continued. The eldest turtle nearly chuckled at that, but still had a serious look.

"Hai Sensei!" Once again, they turned to their father respectfully, understanding what he meant. Then they began to make their way towards the entrance again.

"Don't talk to strangers!"

**"Define stranger, human or rat?" **Kurama stated. Leo was becoming close to laughing.

'_Dear god Kurama, please,' _the turtle begged jokingly.

"Hai Sensei," they replied, only this time they threw in a slightly annoyed tone. For the third time, the four brothers headed towards the entrance.

"Everyone is a stranger!" Master Splinter added. Leo was getting even more annoyed.

'_How protective can a guy get?' _he thought.

**"Not everyone is a stranger," **Kurama commented.

"Hai Sensei," the brothers groaned, now even more annoyed by their Sensei. They ran towards the entrance.

"Make sure you go before you leave! The restrooms up there are filthy!" Splinter yelled. All four turtles turned to him, embarrassed by what he had said to them.

**"Yes Leonardo, you don't want to accidentally walk in when someone's 'doing it' with a girl," **the fox sneered jokingly. This time, Leo's face flushed red, more so than his brothers being embarrassed by their Sensei.

'_KURAMA!' _he mentally yelled. He was answered by a laughing fox.

"SENSEI!" the four turtles groaned at him, now instead of slightly annoyed, they were all very annoyed. Splinter sighed, his ears lowering, now trying to put faith in the fact that his sons would come home alright.

"Good luck my sons," he said, smiling to then.

"I am so pumped!"

"Surface time!"

"This is gonna be epic!" Leo's three younger brothers exclaimed.

'_Here we go,' _Leo mentally added. All four turtles leaped over the turnstiles.

"Look both ways before crossing the street!" Splinter yelled to them, but they didn't hear him. The rat master sighed, his ears lowering again.

'_Please, let my sons come home safe,' _he silently prayed.

They ran through the sewers, excitement all over their faces.

**"Well, this should be interesting," **Kurama stated.** "You've been up to the surface before many times, but your brothers are a different story." **

'_This is gonna be a nightmare,' _the eldest turtle answered him. '_One minute, it'll be let's go to the surface, the next it'll be getting caught and being experimented on.'_

They reached the manhole cover, one where Leo would often head to when he would go up to the surface during his time of freedom, or whatever time he had left of freedom. He began to climb up the ladder, with his brothers following behind him.

'_Alright, here goes nothing,' _Leo thought.

The turtle gently lifted up the manhole cover just a little bit, peeking out to see if there was anyone there. He put his finger to the ground, seeing if he could sense anyone nearby.

**"I sense no one here," **the kitsune replied.

From what Kurama could gather over the years he spent inside the mutant turtle, Leonardo was becoming a sensor-type shinobi. Not only had he inherited Kurama's ability to sense negative emotions, but he also was very good at sensing other beings nearby, despite no one in this dimension having chakra, but instead having their own version of chakra that wasn't usable. On top of that, the eldest turtle had incredible speed and reflexes, even more so than his brothers. In general, he had the greatest capabilities to become a sensor type.

_**(2) **_Leo, sensing no one nearby, lifted up the cover more, and gently placed it to the side, not wanted to notify any humans. He came out of the manhole and looked around. Not much had changed since he came up here a few days ago, before the encounter with Shishigami. Trash lay on the ground, graffiti was on the brick walls of a building, and in the corner was a homeless guy, but the eldest turtle knew that he was sleeping when he sensed him.

His brothers came up after him, in shock and awe at the scenery around them. Leo nearly scoffed that their curiosity.

'_Seriously?' _he thought. '_This place is like a dump. It's not even clean to begin with!' _

**"To be fair, this is the first time your brothers are going up to the surface." **Kurama stated. **"Although, they have seen pictures of the surface on TV, so they should know what to expect. Try to look somewhat impressed, otherwise they'll become suspicious of you." **Leo inwardly nodded at the statement.

"It's so beautiful," Mikey said from behind him.

**"Beautiful? More like his nightmarish version of a cake," **the giant fox chuckled.

'_Mikey thinks anything can be interesting,' _Leo commented. '_He could probably think that growing grass could be interesting. At this point I really shouldn't be surprised he would think like this at this moment.' _

All four turtles began to walk towards the street, now looking at the small shops. His brothers go ahead of him, their excitement barely being able to be contained.

'_I might as well let them go ahead,' _he thought. '_Let them enjoy it. I've been around this area so many times that I know it like the back of my hand.' _

**"During **_**daytime,**_" Kurama added. **"Speaking of which, have you…?" **

'_Already have,' _the turtle answered, knowing exactly what the fox was going to say. '_I already told him a few days ago that I wasn't going to be around due to my 'birthday,' and he was alright with it.' _

**"Good," **the kitsune answered.

"Look at all the computers!" Donnie exclaimed, which drew Leo out of his conversation with Kurama.

He looked over at his genius brother, noticing that the purple masked turtle was staring into a window of an electronic store. His brother seemed mesmerized and astonished by how high quality they were, as they could barely get anything good in the sewers. The genius turtle wished he had some of this.

"Is that the next generation cadmium processor, with quantum encryption?!" He stated, hardly containing his excitement.

"I don't know Donatello, is it?" Raph said to him sarcastically, getting slightly annoyed by the fact that his younger brother was becoming infatuated by a machine.

"It is!" Donnie said happily, ignoring Raph's earlier comments.

"Guys guys! Check this out!" Leo's attention then turned to Mikey, who was staring at a neon sign which belonged to a palm reader.

The sign was in the shape of a hand, which flowed purple, and in the center was a darkened eye.

"A hand made out of light!" To his amazement, the hand suddenly blocked off, now replaced by a light blue eye. "Now it's an eye made out of light!" The eye changed to the hand. "And the hand again!" The hand changed to the eye. "Now the eye's back!" It changed back to the hand. "Now the hand!"

**"Does he ever shut up?" **The kitsune commented.

Thankfully, his prayers were answered, as an annoyed Raph grabbed the ends of Mikey's mask and began to drag him away.

"Come on genius," he said, the red mask turtle having no trouble at dragging his youngest brother away.

"The eye!" Mikey yelled, as was taken away from the window. Leo sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

'_It amazes me how normal my brothers can be down in the sewers, but when they came up here, curiosity took over them and made them become idiots,' _the eldest turtle inwardly chuckled.

**"You were surprised when you came up here,"** Kurama stated.

'_That's because I was ten,'_

"So, where to next?" Donnie asked Leo, taking him out of his conversation again.

But before the eldest turtle could answer, a light began to be shone on the four brother, causing them to turn to the source of the light. It was a young human teen on a small motorbike. The three younger brothers and the human stared at each other for a moment. That is, until Raph decided to scare him.

However, it wasn't the red masked turtle that scared the young teen. It was the blue masked turtle, whose blue irises had now just turned into fiery red ones, and pupils had turned into slits. Fox whisker marks had now appeared on his face, and his teeth had turned from rounded to sharp, pointed ones. He was becoming a fox-turtle hybrid. The teen screamed, and began to drive away. As he did, a large rectangular box was dropped from the back of the motorbike.

Leo's appearance changed back to normal, as he regained control over his body.

**"Hehehe, HAHAHAHA!" **Kurama laughed in his mind.

'_Ooohhh I am so going to kill you,' _the turtle inwardly groaned, slightly leaning his head against his hand.

"That was kinda fun!" Raph smirked. Leo nearly facepalmed.

**"I'm starting to like your brother," **the fox replied.

'_HEY!' _the eldest turtle mentally exclaimed. '_Remember that time when I was ten and what happened?!' _

**"Scaring humans is fun," **Kurama chuckled. That was when the eldest turtle realized something.

'_It won't be fun if they see us,' _he replied.

"We're too exposed out here," Leo said to his brother. He looked around, hoping to find some area that was safely away from humans.

**"Up there," **the fox suggested.

The turtle turned his head, noticing a fire escape that lead up to the top of a building.

'_Perfect Kurama,' _he thought.

"Come on!" He said to them, running towards the fire escape.

His brothers followed him, however Mikey noticed the big flat box that the human boy had just recently dropped. His curiosity took over, as he grabbed the box, noticing that it was a little bit warm. Nevertheless, Mikey followed his older brothers up the fire escape.

They reached the top of the building and climbed onto the rooftop, no longer exposed to the lights and humans below. Leo sunk down to the ground, exhaustion taking over him.

'_Well at least no more humans can see us now,' _Leo thought. While he relaxed, his three younger brothers stared at the box that Mikey picked up.

"Piz-zaw?" Mikey tried to pronounce it right, but Leo knew he was failing miserably. The act of trying to block his own laughter at his brother's mispronunciation showed that.

'_Are you kidding me!' _He inwardly chuckled. '_It's pizza, not piz-zaw!' _

"Should we open it?" Donnie asked.

**"Ooohh careful, it might explode!" **Kurama joked.

"Careful, it could be dangerous," the eldest turtle cautioned, trying his best not to laugh at the fact that his brothers were taking this thing as dangerous.

Raph, thinking that he was the bravest of the four, decided to go forward and open up the box. Inside was a flat, round-shaped object. They could hear it sizzling and hissing, with small red circles. Leo could smell the scent of the pizza from where he stood. His brothers stood around the pizza, in awe as they had never seen anything like it before.

"I think it's...food," Donnie stated.

"It's not like any food I ever saw," Raph said.

'_That's because all of your life you've eaten algae and worms,' _the eldest turtle silently thought.

"I'll try it," Mikey answered.

**"I had a feeling he would try it," **the fox commented. "**With the skills of making a nightmare cake, practically anything can become food if he tried." **

'_Anything can become food?' _Leo questioned.

**"Well I never said good or edible food," **Kurama commented. Both of them watched as Mikey began to bring the slice of pizza towards his mouth.

'_It won't hurt him, will it?' _he asked. '_Since he's a mutant turtle, and I'm a bit more different than him.' _

**"High doubtful," **the kitsune answered. **"You've had it before, but you have exceptions. If it causes food poisoning, well it's his loss." **Mikey began to eat the slice of pizza.

"Mm! Mm! Mm!" Leo could see that his youngest brother was enjoying it.

'_Well, it looks like it's safe for him,' _the turtle said to Kurama.

Mikey shoved the entire rest of the slice into his mouth. When he was done, he let out a belch. Mikey then realized that his brothers were staring at him. The youngest turtle came up with an excuse to make them think it wasn't good.

"Uhh, yuck!" Mikey exclaimed. "You guys won't like it." He paused for a second.

"_Wait for it…' _Leo thought.

"I'll take the rest!" He immediately ran towards the rest of the pizza.

"No way!"

"Back off!" his two older brothers yelled, as Donnie and Raph ran towards the pizza as well. All three of them began taking slices of pizza and ate them. Leo meanwhile, was watching them from a distance.

"I never thought I'd taste anything better than worms and algae, but this is amazing!" Raph commented, munching on the pizza.

"I love it up here!" Mikey shouted, not even worried if any humans heard him shouting from the rooftops.

A smirk began to form on Leo's face. He was happy that his brothers were enjoying life on the surface. Everything so far was going well for all four of them. _**(2!)**_

'_I don't feel like eating pizza now,' _he mentally said to Kurama. '_We literally just ate that huge tub of ice cream, I don't think my stomach can handle anymore tonight.' _

**"I find pizza to have too much grease. Don't eat it. Either you'll throw up or something will happen to your chakra with that amount of grease." **The fox commented.

"Hey Leo! You gotta try some of this Piz-zaw dude! It's reeeeeaaaallly good!" Mikey exclaimed, holding out a slice of pizza to the eldest turtle.

"No thank you Mikey, I'm alright," Leo answered. This however, angered Raphael slightly.

"Aww come on Leo! You haven't eaten anything in a while!" He stated, clearly noting the lack of food that his brother had been eating lately. "Just try some. It's better than algae and worms."

"No really guys, my stomach's just been acting up. I don't feel like eating now," Leo mentally face palmed at that, knowing that Donnie would now be all over him because of his issue.

"Are you alright Leo?" His genius brother asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," he shrugged it off. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

The eldest turtle changed the conversation. To the surprise of the three younger turtles, Leo ran away from them, jumping from the building they were standing on over to another building, and vanished. Donnie and Raph looked at each other with confused looks, while Mikey began to eat the last few slices of pizza.

"I don't know Raph," Donnie began. "Doesn't he seem a bit strange lately?"

"Splinter found him lying in the sewer yesterday when we went out," Raph noted.

"I overheard them talking about what happened, but Leo didn't tell Splinter anything. He said he didn't remember anything that happened."

"I had checked him over too," the genius turtle began. "He didn't have any bruises or broken bones, which he could've had if he had fallen from that height."

"You think we should keep an eye on him?" the red masked turtle asked.

"Maybe," Donnie sighed, putting his hand up to his chin. "We better follow him. Otherwise Splinter will kill us when he finds out that Leo…"

The realization hit the two turtles instantly. Leo had just ran away from them!

"We gotta find him!" Raph exclaimed. Both turtles began to run in the direction of their oldest brother. Mikey however, was still munching on the pizza.

"Mikey! Come on!" the red masked turtle yelled to his youngest brother. He grabbed his brother by the tails of his mask and began to drag him away.

"Ahh!" He cried out. "My Piz-saw!"

* * *

Leonardo ran across the city rooftops at great speeds. He had left his brothers in his dust a long time ago. However, there was something else that he was more focused on at the moment. What said thing was Leo couldn't tell. But the eldest turtle realized that it was important and could not be left alone.

**"You left your brothers behind about a mile back," **Kurama stated, but also chuckled at the same time, joking about how fast the turtle could.

Leo hadn't really gone a mile. However, the fact that he left his brothers behind in the dust worried the kitsune. And unfortunately, the blue masked turtle just caught onto the thought. He had just ran away from his brother!

'_Oh no,' _he thought, a scared look now appearing on his face.

What would his brothers think!? He stopped at the edge of a building, waiting for his brothers to catch up. Fortunately for him, they weren't that far behind. His brothers caught up to him, panting in exhaustion at how fast their oldest brother could run.

"Leo...what the...heck man...you left us...behind," Raph panted. Leo's cheeks flushed up in embarrassment. He put his hand on his head.

"Sorry about that," he admitted.

They all looked over the side of the building for a little bit.

**"It's getting late you know," **Kurama noted. Leo looked up at the moon which was high in the sky.

'_We might as well head back. Besides, I need sleep for Shishigami's training tomorrow.' _

"Alright guys, it's getting late. We should probably head back home." As on cue, his younger brothers groaned in disappointment.

"Lame…" Mikey groaned. All of them turned away from the edge until Donnie noticed something.

"Guys, look at that!" he caught their attention, pointing to something.

The other three turtles turned around. There were two humans walking along the sidewalk. One of them was a middle aged man with red hair, wearing a brown coat and tan pants. The other, was a young teenage girl with red hair, wearing a yellow t-shirt and jeans. Something about the girl caught Leo's attention.

'_She looks familiar,' _Leo noted. '_And yet I've never seen her in my life. Why does it look like I've seen her?' _

**"If you ask me, she reminds me too much of my previous jinchuriki," **the kitsune scoffed. **"Minus the blue eyes. But she looks too strikingly familiar." **Leo turned his attention to Donnie, who looked like he had become love-struck.

**"And it looks like your brother has taken interest." **

'_You've got to be kidding me…' _

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Donnie said.

The eldest turtle wanted to scoff in disgust at that, knowing full well that the girl would never accept his brother even if he tried.

"Isn't she the only girl you've ever seen?" Raph stated. The purple masked turtle blushed in embarrassment. He then straightened himself, trying to look tall and proud.

"My point still stands," he said.

The screeching of a vehicle caught Leo's attention, as he looked down to the street. A white van had just pulled in front of the two humans. The back of it opened, and Kurama gasped when he saw what came out. Four humans that looked surprisingly similar to each other, and to the strange men fifteen years ago.

**"It's **_**them,**_" Kurama scowled.

'_Are those the…' _

**"Same men that ended up mutating you and your brothers and the rat? Yes." **

"Wha..What is this?" The middle aged man asked, as the four men began to close in on them.

The teen looked scared, her eyes widening in fear as she clenched her father's arm tighter.

'_I have a bad feeling about this,' _Leo thought. "_What do I do?' _

"We gotta save them!" Donnie said. His three brothers looked at him like he was crazy.

**"He is right," **the giant fox stated. **"Both of us know the consequences when messing with those 'humans.'" **

'_Splinter's going to kill me when he finds out about this,' _Leo said to the fox. "**Who cares about the rat!" **Kurama shouted. "**Dealing with those men down there is more important! Or have you forgotten what they were about to do to my own dimension?" **

"Are you crazy Donnie?" Raph said to him. "They're humans! Who cares about them! Come on Leo, Mikey."

He turned around, only to see his older brother was gone.

"Leo?"

The three brothers looked around for their brother. Donnie looked down to where he saw the teen and her father, and saw Leo running towards the strange men.

"Down there!" he yelled. "Come on!" the purple masked turtle ran towards the beginning of a battle, with Mikey and Raph following behind.

_**(3) **_Leo flew forward towards one of the men, who was just about to grab the girl. He kicked him away, only to slightly wince afterward.

'_Ow!' _The turtle cried out mentally. '_That did not feel real at all!' _

**"Metal?"** The fox inquired.

'_Maybe, but I don't know. It could still be a human.' _

"Stay away!" Leo shouted at him. The human however, showed no injury of the previous kick to the face, cracked his knuckles and ran at the turtle.

'_Something's not right here,' _he said to Kurama.

"Go!" He said, turning to the young teen.

She looked at him with fright, but her eyes softened, and she ran. The eldest turtle turned his attention back to the man, and then ran at him. They had each other in a deadlock.

**"Swipe the legs!" **Kurama called out.

The turtle then swung his leg at the man's leg, hoping it would knock him down. Unfortunately it didn't work, as Leo once again felt the same feeling when he tried to kick him in the face earlier.

'_Oh no,' _he realized.

The man punched him in the stomach, causing Leo to go flying back. He landed on the ground, but managed to regain his balance. A few seconds later, Leo narrowly avoided bumping into Raph.

"Hey watch it!" He yelled in anger at his older brother. Well at least he knew now that his brothers had joined the fray.

He glanced over at Donnie, who was fighting another man. He swung his Bo staff into the chest area of the human, only nothing happened. There was no reaction from the man. Instead, he just punched him back.

'_I'm starting to think that these guys aren't human,' _he mentally noted.

Once again, Leo ran after the man he was fighting earlier, now with his two katana swords unsheathed. He jumped towards the man, blade ready to swing, when to his surprise, the man caught the blade!

'_Definitely not human!' _Leo realized with fear.

Shock and fear filled him as the man could not only withstand his blade, but also hold him up. He tossed Leo to the side, the turtle landing on the street on his side. This time it hurt much more. The turtle looked up from the ground, now seeing the human pointing his katana blades at him. But before he could do anything, the man turned his attention to the human girl and Donnie, who was trying to reassure her. Unfortunately for him, Mikey whacked him with his nunchucks by accident, and then was also kicked in the gut by the man that Leo had faced earlier, sending both Donnie and Mikey flying back.

Leo got to his feet, now seeing the van starting up, and seeing the girl now having her mouth covered in tape. The van doors then shut her in, as the white van began to drive away.

"They're getting away! They got the girl!" Donnie exclaimed.

The purple masked turtle then put his Bo staff back where it was, and began to run as fast as he could to keep up with the van.

'_I'm going after them,' _he stated. '_I have a very bad feeling about this.' _

He began to follow the van, his speed drastically increasing by the second. In a flash he past Donnie, still trying to keep up with the van.

**"Head for the rooftops!" **the fox shouted. **"You won't be seen from up there. You can land an attack from up above." **

Heeding Kurama's advice, Leo swiftly made his way towards a fire escape, climbing up it. Once he reached the top of the building, he followed the van's course. The vehicle was getting faster and faster, and the turtle was slowly losing it.

**"Do it," **Kurama stated. **"Your brothers are not nearby. I do not sense them nearby. You're going to need the strength to reach that van." **

Immediately Leo began the signs. Dog. Boar. Ram. A puff of smoke engulfed the turtle, and when it cleared, a lion raced out. With his lion form now unleashed, he was now keeping up with the van. The lion raced slightly ahead of it, and waited for the perfect moment.

'_3...2...1...NOW!' _

That was when he jumped. Leo soared off the building into the sky. He aimed his body towards the van. In a second, he landed perfectly on the roof. Then Leo released the jutsu, knowing that he didn't want these humans to see his true strength. The now humanoid turtle took out one of his swords and began to jab the roof of the van, hoping that it would create an opening.

**"Duck!" **Kurama's voice shouted.

On instinct, Leo ducked his head down, just barely dodging a pink colored plasma energy beam whiz by his head. He looked up to where the source of it came from, only to stare in shock. Standing on the roof of the van wasn't one of the humans, it was a robot! It had glowing pink eyes with a silver body and...was that a _brain _in its stomach area?

'_WHAT IS THAT?!' _Leo thought.

Before he could even ask anything about whatever this thing was, he could see that it was holding some sort of weapon. The source of the pink laser from earlier. Leo noticed that the weapon the robot was holding was beginning to charge up.

'_Oh no…' _he sighed.

**"Let go you idiot!" **the fox shouted.

'_Why?!' _he asked. '_If I let go, the van's going to get away!' _

**"Would you rather get shot or live?" **

'_It probably doesn't hurt that much right?!' _As he said that, the robot fired the weapon at his arm.

"AHHHHHH!" Leo cried out in pain.

"Kraang must eliminate that which is known as unknown organism," it said.

'_Kraang?' _he thought. Once again, the robot, or Kraang, began to charge up the weapon it was holding.

**"Let go NOW!" **the kitsune yelled.

Finally taking his advice, Leo let go of the van, just before he got hit a second time from the blaster. He slid back and fell off the roof. The turtle tumbled to the ground, rolling over as he hit the black pavement of the road. The van then picked up speed, leaving poor Leonardo in its wake of dust. It sped away out of sight. Finally the turtle stopped on the pavement on his side, breathing heavily. _**(3!)**_

Leo got up and looked around, only to see the van leave his sight. He growled in frustration and anger, teeth becoming sharp like they were in his lion form as he slammed his fist on the ground, which surprisingly didn't hurt his hand but make a crack in the ground. His eyes widened in fear at the damage he made, so he swiftly made his way towards a dark alleyway. Once Leo knew he was out of sight, he sunk to ground, shell leaned up against the brick wall. He clenched his arm, now trying to cover up the wound before more blood came out of it.

Suddenly, a red bubbly substance came out of his arm. It engulfed the wound around his arm, as well as a few other scratches he had gotten from his tumble from the van. Leo knew what this substance was. It was Kurama's chakra. The turtle had found out a few years back that because he was the fox's jinchuriki, he had enhanced healing. However, this could happen through Kurama healing the turtle himself, which required him to send his chakra outside of Leo's body. The fox did this only when Leo had a serious injury, to make it look like the turtle wasn't drastically hurt.

Kurama's chakra ate away at the wound, beginning to heal it. The scratches began to disappear from his body, and the wound that was made from the laser was slowly starting to close. Finally, it closed completely, looking as if he had never been injured to begin with. The red chakra then went back into the turtle's body.

'_Thank you Kurama,' _he mentally said to the fox.

**"Heh, you're welcome," **the fox replied.

The turtle sat there in silence for a few minutes.

'_I wish I could've done more Kurama,' _Leo said to the fox. '_If only I was stronger. If only I wasn't so afraid…' _

**"You and I both know why I didn't begin to teach you more jutsu until now," **Kurama began.** "It would've been too hard to hide your strength." **

'_That's not what I mean,' _Leo said. '_If only I hadn't been afraid of myself…' _

'_I didn't want them to see me in my lion form, and it ended up in them getting away. Back there, I left a crack in the ground. I was beginning to feel more like my lion self than what I was. I just...felt so scared. It's my fault they got away.' _

A few tears escaped his eyes, as he scrunched up his knees towards him, hugging them and letting his head rest on them.

A few seconds later, he felt soft orange fur against his body. He looked up, now noticing that he was in his mindscape once again. Kurama brushed his tail against the turtle's body. Leo latched onto the large orange tail, finding comfort in the fur as he always had since he was younger. He looked up at the giant fox, sadness emanating from his eyes. Kurama barely had any experience in these types of situations.

**"Do not blame yourself," **Kurama said to him. **"What happened back there was the past. We'll get the girl back." **Leo wiped away his tears, a smile now forming on his face. Kurama too, had a smile forming on his face.

**"Believe me, you did more that I would've done. I wouldn't have risked my life in the first place." **Leo stood up, leaving the comfy orange fur behind.

"We know a few things now," Leo began. "The reason why the men were after those humans must be linked to why we were mutated 15 years ago. Then there was that weird...thing calling itself Kraang."

**"My guess is that this Kraang, is a race of aliens. The robotic body you saw may also be those men that you fought earlier, as well as the men I saw those years ago," **Kurama suggested.

"So you're saying that the men we fought earlier could just be aliens in disguise?" Leo questioned. The fox nodded.

"I better head back," he said. "The guys are going to wonder where I am, and why I haven't come back yet."

Immediately he left his mindscape, returning to the real world. He got up and looked down at the ground, noticing a manhole cover.

'_Perfect,' _he thought.

Leo lifted the manhole cover, and climbed into the sewer, and carefully set the cover back on. He climbed down the ladder and began to run towards his home.

'_Sensei's going to kill me when I get home…'_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 3! Alright let's get into some stuff!**

**I decided to end it before the guys get lectured by Splinter. This is cause I don't want to drag the chapter on for too long. The beginning of the series is a two part episode, so I'm still hoping to keep it two parts, just to not drag it on. I'm throwing in some noncanon stuff of course, so that's also gonna be in there. I decided to skip the beginning fight scene just cause I didn't really feel like it should be in there. **

**Those of you who wonder why Leo has a mini fridge, well you'll find out eventually. As for the other stuff in his room, that'll come out eventually as well. I really can't say much else XD**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! I really appreciate all the support on the last chapter! It means a lot!**

**Hmmm is Leo losing control? **

**Anyways, until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	5. Ch 4 Cooperation

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 5! Yee! This is one of my favorite parts of the series! **

**By the way, thank you guys for the support on the last chapter! Over 660 views! And 11 favs and follows! Thank you guys! I really appreciate it!**

**Here's the music list!**

_** (1) Mission- Naruto Shippuden OST**_

_** (2) Loneliness- Naruto Shippuden OST**_

_** (3) Dark Clouds- Naruto Shippuden OST**_

_** (4) Strong and Strike- Naruto OST**_

_** (5) Naruto Unreleased Soundtrack- Naruto Main Theme ~Slow Ver.~**_

**Now, let us begin!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.**

**Chapter 4**

**Cooperation**

"And so your inability to not only work together but also _stay together _allowed them all to get away!"

All four turtles were now being yelled at by Splinter because of the most recent events. However, the latter statement was specifically targeted at Leonardo, who unfortunately arrived home later than his brothers did. And when he came through the turnstiles, he arrived home to not only a set of three worried brothers, but also a disappointed father.

'_At least my injuries are gone,' _the eldest turtle thought.

Thanks to Kurama, Leo's injuries from the blaster were healed. No one would be able to notice the fact that he did end up getting hurt. It was a good thing too, otherwise his Sensei would probably ground him for a month if he found out that his son was hurt. Oh Splinter was fuming. Leo didn't need him to explode.

"Well, maybe if _hero-boy _over here didn't run off to do something stupid, I could've saved them!" Raph exclaimed. Leo's eyes widened in shock.

'_Is he passing the blame onto me?!' _he thought angrily.

**"Forgot about how I said that I liked your brother earlier," **Kurama stated. "**Remind me to throw a Tailed Beast Ball at him later." **

'_That's probably not a good idea..' _"**Well, he almost hit you."**

"If you hadn't gotten in my way, I could've done it!" Leo retaliated towards his younger brother. Then, he turned to Donnie.

"And you went flying off on your own! How smart was that!" The genius turtle sat there in astonishment, clearly surprised that his oldest brother decided to pass the blame onto him. But instead of retaliating against the blue masked turtle, he turned to Mikey.

"Well, it would've worked out great, if _somebody _hadn't hit me in the head with their nunchucks!" He exclaimed in anger at his younger brother.

"Well, none of this would've happened if…!" It was at that moment that the youngest turtle realized that there was no one next to him. So he went with the first thing he thought of.

"Somebody hadn't trusted us to go up there in the first place!"

All three older brothers' eyes widened in shock, gasping at the youngest turtle's statement.

'_Did he...just pass the blame onto Sensei?!' _He thought.

**"I must now congratulate your brother," **Kurama began. **"He not only won the award for being the stupidest person in the universe, but he also won the award for least likely person to tick off the rat and have you banned from the surface."**

'_I really hope not…' _Leo inwardly sighed.

With all of them going to the surface, it was the perfect opportunity to make an excuse for his surface travels. However, now that Mikey's big mouth unleashed this, as well as their encounter with the aliens while up on the surface, Splinter would probably forbid them from ever going up to the surface again. And not only that, but probably keep an even closer eye on all of them. As if his Sensei wasn't watching him enough.

"Oh geez," Mikey admitted, now realizing what he had said, and was clearly embarrassed and scared for what his father would do to him.

'_Leave it to Mikey to speak first and think later…' _he thought.

"Sensei, I didn't mean to…" The turtle trailed off, but to his surprise, as well as his brothers', their Sensei answered in a different way.

"No Michalangelo, you are right." Splinter admitted. He wasn't angry at his son, but instead he was agreeing with him!

"I am?" Mikey asked in confusion, for not only the fact that Sensei was agreeing with him, but he was actually right for once.

"He is?" All three of the older turtles said in unison, turning to their youngest brother. Leo did not know what to think about this.

'_How could Mikey be right?' _He thought. '_The only reason we were able to go up to the surface in the first place was because we pushed Splinter into allowing us to go. We were the ones who messed up.' _

**"The rat is referring to that," **Kurama stated.

'_What do you mean?' _Leo asked.

**"You have the capabilities to stop those 'Kraang' as they called themselves, if you were alone. However, since you were not alone, nothing can be done about it."**

"**However, what he is referring to is the fact of how well you and your brothers performed out there. All of you haven't essentially worked together before. And as you have noticed and heard, your brothers were often hit by each other's weapons. And you experienced this when you almost ran into Raphael." **

'_So what you're saying is that Sensei didn't train us to fight and work together?' _

**"Yes," **

'_And now he's blaming himself because of this.' _

"You were not fully prepared for what was up there," Splinter began. "I trained you to fight as individuals. Not as a team. And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility is mine." Leo could sense the shame and guilt coming from his master.

"Perhaps, in another year, we can try again," the rat master finished. All four of his sons, and a very angered fox, stared at him in shock.

**"HOW IDIOTIC ARE YOU RAT?!" **Kurama roared. Leo put his right hand against his head slightly, getting a headache from Kurama's yelling.

**"HUMANS WERE KIDNAPPED! AND YOU WANT TO WAIT A YEAR?! **

'_Kurama...please…' _Leo begged. The giant fox then noticed that his anger was outwardly affecting the turtle. He lowered his ears in shame.

**"I must apologize for that," **the kitsune replied.

'_It's ok, I agree with you on this one. The two humans can't wait another year.'_

"Another year?" Leo heard Donnie speak up.

**"Hmm! I'm not surprised he is speaking up." **Kurama noted.

The eldest turtle had a feeling that his younger brother would speak up about this. Ever since he laid his eyes on the girl, he seemed to have fallen in love. And even worse, she saw them. If that girl revealed to Donnie that she didn't like him, he would be heartbroken.

"Hah! Has anyone forgotten that people were kidnapped!" Donnie exclaimed. "They don't have a year! Sensei, we have to do something now!" Splinter glared at his genius son, now wondering why he had said that.

"You weren't there Sensei," the turtle began. "You didn't see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared. And she was counting on me…"

His three brothers glared at him in annoyance.

'_Way to let your secret crush out,' _Leo thought. '_And thank you for not mentioning one of us.' _

**"Love can blind a person sometimes, or even consume them," **the kitsune stated.** "My previous jinchuriki was able to keep my power at bay because of her love for the **_**Hokage**_…" He snarled out the last part in hatred towards the one who sealed him.

"Uh, us!" Donnie went back to correct himself, now realizing the slip up that he had made. "To save her!"

He looked back at Splinter, silently praying for him to reconsider. His brothers turned their gaze off of his and towards the rat master as well. Splinter meanwhile, had turned his head towards a small shrine he had made when they first found the lair. On it were a few of his personal belongings from his human life, as well as a picture of Tang Shen, his wife, and his daughter Miwa, who had both perished in a fire.

Leo began to ponder this. '_I can't help but feel that there's more to the story,' _he thought. '_The way Splinter described Shen seemed too suspicious to what happened. Shen would've been around Miwa the entire time, so how could have his daughter perished? It feels like the baby wasn't there at all. And how did Splinter even escape the fire to begin with?' _

"Yes, you must save her," Splinter affirmed, now turning back to his sons.

Leo became happy that his Sensei made the right choice. However, something still irked him.

'_I don't think he came up with that idea all on his own,' _Leo pondered. '_Kurama, how does the whole thing with spirits work in your dimension?' _

**"Those who die go to the Pure Land," **he answered. **"Those souls then watch over the ones that are living. They can be summoned as well. However, I do know much else." **

'_Maybe Tang Shen helped him…' _Leo thought. Then, another thought crossed his mind.

"I agree, Sensei, but in that fight we weren't exactly a well-oiled machine," he stated, which earned him a scoff from Kurama.

**"You suck at analogies," **the fox noted.** "Almost as bad as your naming skills," **

'_Just because I named the stuffed lion plush that Sensei found in the sewer when I was five 'Mr. Fluffykins' doesn't mean I'm terrible at naming!' _

**"You should still leave the nicknaming to your youngest brother," '**'_Fine…' _

"Yeah, like that robot with the brain-thingy," Mikey said, earning a glare from Raph.

"Give it a rest," Raph retorted back to him, with a hint of anger.

Earlier, Mikey had told his three brothers that he had seen some sort of robot with a brain inside the chest area. Leo wasn't there at the time, since he was recovering from the van, but he knew Mikey wasn't lying, as he had seen the robot, or Kraang as it called itself, on the roof of the van. But he wouldn't tell his brothers about that.

"Hmm," Splinter hummed, closing his eyes in thought and stroking his beard. "If you to fight more efficiently as a team, you are going to need a leader."

That was the moment when Leo's eyes widened as he looked down towards the floor, hoping and praying that his family wouldn't see the sense of nervousness going through his system.

_'__NO! NOT NOW! I DON'T WANT THIS!' _

He knew what was coming. He knew it since the first thing he could remember in his life. The way Splinter looks at him. The way he expects him to act. The fact that he was the oldest. Mikey was too young and foolish. Donnie was too grounded and focused. Raph was too full of anger and hatred. Leo knew this day would come, and he dreaded it…

It was the day he would be in charge of his brothers. _Permanently…_

Leo knew what that meant. It meant putting up with Mikey's constant whining about his orders. Donnie second guessing him. And worst of all, himself and Raph getting into fights more often. Time for learning new jutsu would now be put on hold, and this would go for any free time he wanted to use as well, as it would be taken up for planning, keeping the team together, as well as probably stress. And even worse, there would probably be even more training from his Sensei, and at this point he knew for a fact while he barely knew any jutsu, he was at the strength level of his father.

"I should be the leader!" Raph exclaimed with pride. "I kicked all of your butts."

"Hey wait a minute," Donnie began. "I'm smarter than all you guys put together. It should be me!"

"No way, it should be me!" They all turned to Mikey, who had a serious look on his face. They expected him to have some sort of reason. But to their surprise, he didn't.

"I don't really have a reason. I just think it would be neat."

Splinter turned around and began to head into his personal room. "This is a difficult decision," he began, as he opened the door.

The rat master walked in, eyes now focused on his sons. He grabbed the edge of the door. "I will meditate on it," he stated, and closed the door. Leo and his brothers stared at the door.

**"Now's your chance to say something," **the fox advised.

That was when Leonardo was about to make his move. A few seconds later, Splinter came out.

"It's…hmm?" he began, but he then noticed something.

Leonardo was missing.

"Leonardo?" he asked. His three other sons looked around, eyes widening in shock. When did their brother leave? They didn't even notice him leave!

"Leo?" Raph asked. There was no answer.

"Dude…" Mikey trailed off, amazed by the sight. "I didn't even see him leave! What if he secretly has like a teleportation ability or something?"

A second later, they heard a door slam. All three turtles immediately got up, and ran to the entrance of the dojo. The doors to their rooms were closed, but now the bathroom door was closed as well.

Meanwhile, Leonardo sunk down to the floor in agony, shell against the wall, with his hands grasping the top of his head. He began to groan in pain, as what appeared to be a massive headache attack began to form. The turtle clenched his teeth, trying his best to hold back a scream. His eyes were squinted shut, and his face writhed in pain. Why had this started? A few seconds ago he was fine, but as soon as his Sensei came in and began to, most likely, announce the fact that he was going to be leader, it began to feel like someone had declared war on his head.

'_Kura...ma…' _he tried to mentally call out to the fox. '_What's...happening… to me?' _

**"How am I supposed to know?!" **the fox roared. **"Did you think that I would start this?!" **Kurama was feeling the effects of the headache as well.

'_No...I was just thinking...about a way to stop this!' _

The pain was starting to become too much. Leo decided that it was better to lie down on the ground. He could hear the sound of banging on the door.

'_Please stop…' _he mentally cried out in agony, as the loud noise coming from the door made it even worse. The turtle was now struggling to keep his eyes open. Darkness was now beginning to surround him.

'_No...must stay awake!' _But it was no use. At last, the darkness consumed him. The last thing he heard was the door slamming open and someone shouting, "Leonardo!" However he couldn't tell who it was. Everything faded into nothingness…

* * *

Warmth. Softness. These were the first things Leonardo felt as feeling began to return to his body. He slowly began to open his eyes. Once he did, he began to panic, as he wasn't in his turtle form, but rather his lion form.

'_Shoot! They're going to see me like this!' _

When he began to get up however, he felt orange fur next to him. It was one of Kurama's tails. Leo sighed in relief, now knowing that he was in his own mindscape.

_**(1) **_Leo felt Kurama shift a little. The giant fox was lying down as well, eyes closed. But suddenly, they began to open as well. "Kurama?" Leo asked. The kitsune yawned, his ears perking up as he realized his jinchuriki was awake.

**"Finally you're up," **Kurama answered. "Hrmmm," Leo moaned clenching his head.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus. What happened?" He looked at the giant fox for an answer.

**"You've been unconscious for three hours," **the fox answered.

"THREE HOURS?!" Leo exclaimed.

**"Heh! It's better than three months!" **Kurama smirked at this.

"I guess," the lion admitted. He sat up, ears lowering. "Any idea why something like that happened?"

**"No," **the fox stated. "**I haven't felt pain like that in a very long time." **

The lion began to ponder this. An event like that had never happened before, as far as he could remember. Even Kurama had no idea. So how did this happen.

"I don't understand," Leonardo began. "One minute I'm worrying about the consequences about me becoming the leader, the next I'm rushing to the bathroom, feeling like my head was smashed open. Then I collapsed. This never happened before. So why did it happen now?"

**"Stress?" **Kurama wondered aloud.

"I don't think so," Leo answered. "I was perfectly ready to say, 'I don't want to handle the responsibilities of leadership.' And yet, I still don't know what happened. It felt like...deja vu I guess…" He began to attempt to stand up.

"I have to wake up. The guys are probably out there without me!"

But as soon as he got to his feet, his head began to spin. Leo held the side of his head with his right paw, however his body began to sway. Just as soon as he was about to hit the ground, Kurama used one of his tails support him.

**"And I suppose you will find your brothers like that?" **Kurama sneered at him, knowing full well that Leonardo was in no shape to go.

"What else am I supposed to do? Let them go off on their own without me?"

**"There is another way, you know…" **the fox inquired.

"Wait, there's another…" Leo trailed off. He began to think about it. What was this other way Kurama was speaking of? Leo was too tried to control his own body, so that meant…

"No! We are not doing that!" Leo yelled.

**"If I recall, **_**someone **_**just recently lost a bet with me…" **Kurama smirked. The lion sat there in shock. He remembered he lost the bet yesterday! Mikey had found his old training area!

"Don't you remember the last time we did something like that?!" Leo stated. "I lost a bet with you and you were able to control my body for one day. And don't you remember how suspicious my brothers and my father were for the next week because of your actions!?"

**"Believe me, in this situation, I wouldn't do anything like that, nor would I do anything like that ever again," **the kitsune promised.

"But they'll still notice the red eyes, and did I mention the voice?!" Leo noted.

**"Think about it like this, I control your body, but you control your voice. How about that?" **

Leo thought about it for a moment. It could work, except for the fact that his eyes would be red. But he could probably make up some excuse for it.

"Fine…" Leo sighed. "But don't do anything stupid!"

**"You must stay in your mindscape. You will be able to watch what I am doing." **He said.

"Got it."

Kurama sat up and got into a sitting position. He put his two paws together, both of them flat. The fox closed his eyes. Leo watched, as he began to feel himself waking up, but resisted the urge to leave his mindscape. He too, sat up in a sitting position, crossing his legs.

Kurama opened his eyes. He was met with a high ceiling, and the cold temperature of a table.

'_We must be in Donnie's Lab,' _Leo thought. He sighed in relief. '_It's a good thing they didn't put me in my room. There's way too much they would've seen as suspicious.' _

The fox, now inhabiting the turtle's body, slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. It had been a while since he felt the real world, and not the stone ground of Leonardo's cave mindscape.

He looked down, now seeing his now three-fingered hands.

**"Ugh, I don't know how you ever got used to these," **the fox complained.

Leo turned, and noticed that Kurama was talking in his mindscape, his eyes still closed.

**"Better yet, I don't understand how you're used to walking on two legs!"**

'_That's why I transform when I want to use jutsu,' _Leo stated. The fox looked around, and noticed a small metal plate next to him. He picked up, and he saw his reflection. Unlike Leonardo, the turtle's eyes were now red.

'_At least no whisker marks formed,' _the lion stated.

Using his sensory abilities, Kurama scanned the area. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the only thing he sensed was Splinter, who was sleeping. However, this confirmed Leonardo's suspicion that his brothers left without him.

'_Great,' _he thought. '_Looks like we have to get out of here without Splinter noticing and find them. Argh, we don't even know where they are!' _

Next to the turtle's body were his katanas.

'_Well at least someone was thoughtful enough to leave them here…' _Kurama picked up the katanas, putting them on his "shell."

**"This is even weirder than last time," **he admitted.

'_Last time, you only took control of my voice, not my body!' _Leo stated. '_We have to get out of here before Splinter notices that I'm awake!' _

Carefully, the turtle got off the table, noting to have his movements be as silent as possible. He looked to his left, noticing some shurikens with the Hamato symbol on them. Kurama grabbed a few.

Slowly, he began to creep out of Donnie's Lab, and into the main living area of area.

**"The rat's still sleeping," **Kurama noted.

'_Good, then it should be easy going from here,' _Leo said.

He ran towards the turnstiles, and in one leap, went completely over them without even having to put a hand on them. Kurama raced out of the lair and into the sewers. Once they were far enough away, the fox cranked up the speed, now running even faster.

The fox began to form the signs for the Transformation Jutsu. Once it was done, a puff of smoke appeared, and the turtle was engulfed in it. After it dissipated, the turtle was gone, and in its place was a lion. He lifted up the manhole cover, jumping up and onto the street. Then, he leaped from the ground up to the top of a building he was next to. From there, he resumed his run.

**"**_**I did not realize how much chakra the kid had," **_Kurama thought. **"**_**He has a large amount of chakra, even though he wasn't born with any and I gave him some. His body is definitely able to generate its own chakra now, but this...this is something interesting. His speed is unbelievable. If he tried, he could be as fast as the Hokage, hmmm…" **_

'_Alright, we need to find out where they went first,' _Leo said. Kurama stopped and knelt to the ground.

'_Let me take over.' _

**"Are you sure you are capable of handling it?" **the fox inquired. **"You will be sensing an entire city's life force. Can you handle it?" **

'_I'll be fine,' _Leo answered.

At that moment, the two switched places. Kurama opened his eyes, as Leo was sent back to the real world.

He opened his eyes, revealing blue irises once more. Leo placed his finger on the roof of the building, and began to focus. He was able to feel so many life forces, but they weren't the ones he was looking. His head began to hurt a little, as Leo wasn't entirely used to something like this. However, he finally felt a different life force than human life force. His brothers. They were inside some large compound on the eastern side of the city.

'_Found them!' _he mentally cheered. Leo opened his eyes. Then, he began to run east.

'_They're heading towards some sort of compound in the eastern part of the city. Somewhere where it's open enough to build a place like that. And from what I could gather, I think those 'Kraang' as they called themselves must be there too. That must be where they're hiding the girl!' _

The lion leaped over a build in a single building in one bound, not even breaking a sweat.

**"If that's the case, then your brothers are running in blindly," **Kurama admitted.

'_Crap, you're right.' _Leo said. '_They have no idea what they're getting into. They don't know the building plan, where the girl is being held, and who knows how many of those 'Kraang' there are in that one base! They probably don't…' _He trailed off, realizing what he was about to say. _**(1!)**_

_**(2) **_'_...have a plan,' _Leo finished.

The lion stopped his running for a moment. He looked down to his feet and sighed.

'_Now I know why Sensei wanted to choose me as leader,' _he admitted. '_It's because I'm the best candidate for it. I'm the best out of all four of us when it comes to this sort of stuff. He knows that, after seeing me grow up. And yet…" _He sat down, hanging his legs over the side of the building.

'_I don't want it,' _he answered.

**"Your chakra is screaming fear," **Kurama noted. **"You don't want it because you fear it don't you?" **Leo nodded.

'_It's just, whenever I think about it, I just think about what'll happen when I'm leading. My brothers in pain and suffering. They're injured and dying. Heck, they don't even listen to me in the first place! How can I lead a team that won't even listen to me!?'_

'_I'm just...scared. One minute my brothers and I are fighting in an argument, the next they're all dead and gone because of my orders. I don't want the responsibility because I'm scared of it. I love my brothers, I would do anything to protect them, but I couldn't imagine what would happen when one or all three of them end up dying because of my actions!' _

**"All shinobi must face this fear," **the kitsune stated. **That is, unfortunately, how the shinobi world works. Pain. Suffering. Death. Shinobi are placed in teams, with one leading. All of these fears and woes are something they must face every single day. However, I believe you will be able to face this fear. And, it is most likely in our best interest to not spark a flame with the rat."**

'_But, your freedom…' _Leo began.

**"That can wait," **Kurama answered. **"There are more important tasks at hand. And, in order to keep my existence a secret, it is best to not let out any more anger." **

The kitsune hates saying those words. He wanted freedom. He _needed _freedom. Kurama hated the fact of being imprisoned. But, he was sealed inside of Leonardo, someone who understood him, for what he truly is. He could wait for his freedom a little while longer.

'_I just feel bad,' _Leo admitted. '_Having to keep you inside of me longer.' _

**"Heh! If I wanted my freedom that badly I would've tried to break out of you years ago!" **Kurama stated. A smile formed on Leo's face.

'_Thanks Kurama,' _he said.

**"Take it as an IOU," **the fox replied. Leo froze.

'_Hey wait a minute! You're going to force me to do something for you!' _

**"Well, I'll rampage across the city then, how does that sound to you?" **Kurama sarcastically replied.

'_Wait wait wait! I take it back! I take it back!' _Leo could hear the fox erupt with laughter.

'_Alright, let's go find the guys!' __**(2!)**_

* * *

With the amount of chakra and speed he possessed, Leo was able to get to the compound. Before he went anywhere near it, he released the jutsu, turning back into a humanoid turtle. As he neared the entrance, he noticed something odd. The entrance was on fire! How did that happen?

_**(3) **_'_I have a feeling they had something to do with it,' _Leo thought. The turtle could see broken car parts all over the place.

'_Did they make a diversion by stealing a van?!' _

It was a smart choice, but even so, having the van being stolen and now blown to bits could've attracted anyone. And it did. Leo looked above where the fire was, and saw four men that look identical to each other, with the same kind of blaster the Kraang had while he was hanging on for dear life on the van.

**"Those humans, they are not humans," **Kurama started.

**"I sense a different presence coming from them. They are most definitely alien." **

'_So what you're saying is that the Kraang use the same robot bodies to disguise themselves as humans?' _

**"It is most likely. Earlier you fought beside you brothers, and those looked exactly the same. They must be mass producing them somehow." **

'_I've got to find them!' _

He ran far away from the entrance, then jumped as high as he could. Thanks to his chakra, Leo was able to completely jump over the wall with ease! The guards didn't even notice him. Once over the wall, Leo made his way towards the building, where on the side of it, was a conveniently opened air vent.

'_Hmm, I wonder who opened this?' _He thought.

Within seconds, the turtle made his way through the ventilation system. He looked down, and noticed a grate that went over a hallway. He opened it carefully, making sure not to make a sound, and dropped down from above.

'_Woooaahhh,' _Leo thought. The hallway was covered in tons of alien technology. The walls were white, with pink lights going up and down the sides. The floor was completely black. It was definitely something that would never appear on Earth.

'_Looks like something out of…' _

**"Space Heroes?" **Kurama chuckled.

'_Hey! It's a great show and I like it!' _Leo admitted.

**"There are better options...but I find the concept of humans in space rather interesting…" **

Once again, Leo put his finger on the ground, trying to sense the girl's life force. Within seconds, he was able to find her. He ran down the hallway, being mindful of any Kraang that stalked the hallway. So far, nothing seemed to notice him. And so far, he couldn't find any trace of his brothers. So if he sensed them earlier, then where were they? Leo kept thinking about this as he ran. However, he would've kept going if not for a…

"**Hold it Leonardo!" **

The shout from the fox startled the turtle, and, since he was still in mid-run, caused him to trip and fall to the ground.

"Hrrrmmm," he groaned, now feeling the impact. '_What'd you do that for?' _the turtle asked.

**"If you were paying attention, you just ran past the humans!" **

'_Wait what?!' _

Leo turned around, and noticed a strange door, one with an electric lock on the side of it. There was a small viewing window with pink glass in front of it. And as he looked inside, he saw them!

'_Found them!' _

Both the girl and the man were a bit frightened by his appearance. But, they soon calmed down.

"Are you alright?" Leo asked.

The girl, stunned by the fact that he was asking her a question, answered him. Then, she noticed that it was the being with the blue mask who saved her earlier.

"Yea...yeah! We're alright," she answered hesitantly.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

"No," the redheaded girl answered him immediately.

"Good. I'm going to try to get this door open." Hope filled the girl's soul, but there was still hesitation in her being.

"Ok...giant, lizard thing…" she answered, still nervous.

"Well, turtle, more or less," Leo answered.

He could feel the negative emotions coming from here. She was scared. Mostly likely scared because of the fact of the situation she was in. Being kidnapped by aliens is definitely something no one wants. But also, she could be scared by why he was here. Why was he helping them?

**"Ask her some questions," **Kurama suggested. **"Get her mind off of the situation." **

'_Good idea,' _He looked next to the door and saw the lock. Carefully, the turtle removed the outer layer. Leo's eyes widened as he noticed the complexity of the lock.

'_How am I supposed to unlock this!?' _he thought. '_Where's Donnie when you need him!?' _

After that, he regained his calm composure, making sure to not make the girl freak out at the fact that there was a possibility he couldn't open the door.

'_I can't attack the door. I could break through it, with my chakra, but that'll just make them even more panicked.'_

"My name's Leonardo," he said as he looked up at her. "But I'm mostly called 'Leo.' What's your name?"

'_There, nice and simple,' _he thought.

**"Why did you tell her your name?" **

'_I have a feeling that we'll probably be seeing each other more often after this, especially since the Kraang are after her for some reason. And, now she knows of our existence anyway.' _The girl was a bit surprised he asked for her name, but she told him anyway.

"April," she answered.

"That's a nice name," he answered. Leo dug his hands deeper into the lock.

"Not to be intrusive or anything, but do you have any idea why these guys kidnapped you?"

"I wish I knew," April answered him. "That van just randomly pulled up to us." She looked out the window, only seeing him around. Weren't there three other turtles with him?

"Hey, weren't there others with you?" April asked. Leo sighed at her comment.

"Yes, but they, well uh…"

**"****Abandoned you?" **The kitsune answered.

"_Left _without me," Leo finished. "In truth, we were all coming here to get both of you out of here. But, for some reason, I got sick with a headache and fell unconscious for a short time. And when I woke up there were gone. No note or anything."

"Are they...friends of yours?" she asked.

"Brothers," he answered. "Younger brothers."

"Oh…" April trailed off.

Somewhere in her heart, she for some reason felt pity for the turtle, even though she just met him. The thing he just said didn't seem right.

"I'm sorry," April said to him. Leo was surprised by this, but he continued on.

"It's alright," he told her. "It's just...I don't know. I feel upset that they left me behind and didn't bother to…" _**(3!)**_

WOO! WEE! WOO! WEE! An alarm began to blare throughout the compound. The lights began flashing pink. April drew back from the door, frightened by the noise. Leo however, only grunted in frustration.

**"I wonder who set that off?" **Kurama said.

"Great," Leo scoffed. "They probably set the alarm off!" He tried to keep his voice low, as he continued to work at the lock. However, Leo wasn't having a lot of luck with it.

After about thirty seconds, the security alarm died down. '_Finally,' _the turtle sighed in relief.

But then, he heard the sound of running feet coming towards him. Leo thought it was the Kraang, until he heard the jingle jangle of weapons.

'_There they are!' _

He could see Donnie running in the front, ahead of Raph and Mikey. The purple masked turtle's eyes widened has he saw his blue masked brother, which he last remembered, was still unconscious.

"Leo?!" He cried out, but not too loud.

Both Mikey and Raph were shocked to see their eldest brother here. They all came to a halt in front of him.

"How'd you get here?!" Donnie asked.

"More importantly, why aren't you at home?" Raph asked, a little irritation in his voice. Leo sighed.

"It's not important," the eldest turtle stated. "And why didn't you leave me a note or something telling me that you were gone?! I woke up and no one was there!"

"Well, we didn't think you would wake up till we got back!" Raph stated. "And besides, Splinter would've told where we were and...wait," Donnie paused.

"Did you leave the lair without telling Splinter?"

The blue masked turtle immediately became nervous. "Well...I…."

"Dude, you went against Master Splinter?" Mikey exclaimed. "You like never go against him! Like ever! He's so gonna kill you when we get home!" Leo scowled in agitation at his youngest brother's reply.

'_No need to rub it in my face,' _he thought.

Then, he heard the sound of weapons firing and looked ahead of the three turtles. More Kraang were appearing, and they weren't happy.

"What did you guys do?!" Leo yelled in anger. "Did you guys set off the alarm earlier too?" Both Donnie and Raph's eyes angrily trailed to Mikey.

"Umm, about that," the orange masked turtle laughed nervously. "I kinda accidentally threw one of those brain thingys at the alarm button. Hehe." His right hand grabbed the back of his head as the youngest turtle began to sweat from the nervousness.

Leo's mouth nearly dropped to the ground. **"Confirmed, you live in a world of idiotic beings," **Kurama snorted in frustration.

'_I figured that out years ago,' _he replied. '_And are you kidding me! Did Raph and Donnie not do anything to stop that from happening?' _The droids came nearer, blasters powering up. His blue irises widened, and he began to think fast.

'_I can't open this lock,' _Leo thought. '_But someone else can!' _The was when the Kraang began firing, grabbing his brothers' attentions.

"We'll hold them off!" Leo stated. "You pick the lock!" the last part of it was directed at Donnie.

The eldest turtle unsheathed his swords and got into a fighting stance.

"We will?" Both Raph and Mikey asked. Leo's patience ran thin at that moment.

"Unless you want to get stir-fried, then help me!"

A tint of red filled his irises, making them appear darker, and his teeth turned sharper in anger. His brothers didn't notice the sudden difference, however the message already gotten their point across as he saw them fearfully scramble to grab their weapons.

Leo ran ahead of them, swinging his sword in front of him and deflecting the oncoming plasma shots from their weapons. Once he got close enough, he immediately sliced at the robot, cutting its body in two with ease. The turtle turned around, seeing Raph and Mikey handling the robots with ease. However, he could see his purple masked brother chatting with April.

'_Oh come on…!' _

His thought process wasn't finished, as he was shoved far back by one of the Kraang. He ended up slamming into Donnie, whose face was smashed against the pink glass. Leo backed away from him with an angry look on his face.

"The lock Donnie!" the turtle yelled.

"Oh, right! Yeah, sorry!" his genius brother apologized nervously, and immediately went back to work. Leo rushed back into the battle.

**"Five bucks he takes his time," **the fox bets. Leo could only scoff at that.

'_It's going to happen,' _he thought.

The turtle could sense the arrival of more Kraang coming their way. As he fought his way through Kraang, he saw Raph push a Kraang to the ground near Donnie. The red masked turtled noticed how long Donnie was taking, and decided to take action.

"Oh for the love of! Get out of my way!" the turtle shouted, immediately shoving Donnie away from the lock.

Raph then began to jab his sai into the control panel over and over again, hoping that it would cause something to make it open. And after a few more jabs, it did open. However, when Donnie and Raph got inside, they noticed that the door on the other side was open, and April and her father were being carried away by the Kraang.

"No!" she screamed, catching the attention of both Leo and Mikey.

They caught up with their two others, just in time to see April carried away. Plasma shots began to ring out as the Kraang fired at them with their blasters. All four turtles ran after April and her father, who had already been taken outside. Once they ran through the door and made it outside, Raph looked behind them and saw the Kraang coming. He shut the door, but one of the robots reached its arm through. So he grabbed the arm, dislocated it from its host, pushed the robot back, and put the robot arm through the door handles, keeping it shut.

"That'll hold em'," Raph said, as he turned to his brothers.

The three other brothers looked at him in slight shock, their eyes widened.

"What?" Raph asked.

"You, are seriously twisted," Leo answered.

**"Please, that's barely even twisting it," **Kurama stated. "**There's that one time where I…" **

'_Not now!' _Leo interrupted.

"Thanks," Raph replied. Then the four brothers ran off in search of the family.

"No! Let me go!" Leo heard shouting, and saw April and her father being led away above them.

"Let's get em'!" he shouted to his brothers, and they followed him.

**"I am surprised and somewhat impressed that your brothers are actually listening to you," **the kitsune said.

'_I don't know, it's probably because we're in a dire situation. Besides once it's over, they're not going to listen to me.' _

However, before they could follow any further, something stopped them. Leo gasped, and saw what appeared to be a giant plant monster right in front of him. It has big yellow eyes on the side of its head, and venus fly trap like claws coming from where its arms would be. An organ, possibly a heart, was somewhat encased in plant material in the center of it.

"You did this to me! Now you are going to pay!" It shouted at the turtles. The blue masked turtle stared at his brothers in confusion.

"What the heck did you guys do now?" he asked.

"Oh, oh, oh! I'm good at stories!" Mikey shouted. "So we basically met this guy named Snake, and he showed us where to go! Then we stole a van!"

"Mikey!" both Donnie and Raph yelled.

"What?" he answered. "I'm just telling Leo what happened. And you'd think he would mutate into a snake." Raph became annoyed.

"Yeah you would, if you were an idiot!" the red masked turtle argued.

"But his name is Snake!" Mikey said.

"So?" Raph answered back.

"You don't understand science." Mikey finally admitted.

While the two turtles argued, Leo noticed that the mutant weed, apparently named Snake, shifting his body, as he separated his legs, which stuck to each other when he was mutated. Now that the new mutant was mobile again, he loomed over the brothers, now catching the attention of Raph and Mikey.

"I'll crush you turtles!" the mutant growled.

"Uh, would it help if we said that it was an accident?" Donnie asked.

In response, the mutant hissed and growled, clenching his claws in anger. The turtles backed away from him.

"So, I'll put you down as a no?" Donnie said fearfully.

Snake got even angrier, and swung his long vine-like arm at the four turtles. Leo, reacting quickly, avoided the attack by jumping over it. Seeing an opening, the blue masked turtle jumped forward, slicing the vine arm in half. Some strange purple ooze came out of the severed vine.

"Eww, eww!" Mikey backed away as the purple ooze began to drip onto the ground near him. "Don't let it touch me! Don't let it touch me!" he screamed. However, despite his pleas, some of the purple ooze landed on his leg.

"Ahhhhh! It touched me!" Mikey screamed. Leo however rolled his eyes.

**"I don't think I've ever wanted to slap him harder," **Kurama groaned. The blue masked turtle inwardly chuckled at this.

He looked back at Snake, and noticed that the plant mutant was beginning to regrow his arm. A new claw had formed at the end of it, and Snake clenched it multiple times to see if he could use it to his advantage. It was, and he smiled in pleasure.

"It grew back?" Donnie said in surprise. "No fair!"

_**(4) **_However, brought Leo's attention away from the plant mutant. The sound of an engine starting up brought his eyes over to a flat area above. A helicopter was beginning to start up from a landing pad, with April and her father being led into it. She looked back at Leo, fear filling her eyes. He began to think about what to do next.

'_If that helicopter takes off while I'm on it, I could rescue both of them and be able to survive the fall. Although...leaving my brothers to deal with Snake isn't a good idea either. Their weapons can't damage him well enough.' _

**"As much as I hate to admit it, you must let your brother Donatello go after it," **the kitsune answered. **"He'll know how to stop that thing. And, you most likely don't want him to be angry at you for the fact that you stole is 'girlfriend.' Hehehe!" **

Leo's face blushed in embarrassment.

'_I do not like her!' _he stated in fury. The turtle turned to Donnie.

"Donnie, go!" he yelled.

Said turtle nodded to him, putting his Bo staff back onto the strap on his back. He ran at Leo, who had both of his hands together. Donnie jumped up, and his foot landed on Leo's hands. The blue masked turtle then pushed Donnie up, with enough strength to get him to the top of the building.

He turned back to his other two brothers, who were both busy fighting Snake. Leo began slicing away at the oncoming vines, but was eventually pushed back. The three turtles stared at Snake as he began to approach them once more, a grin form with whatever teeth the plant mutant still had left.

"Snakeweed is really powerful!" Mikey shouted. Both Leo and Raph turned to the orange masked turtle in confusion.

"Snakeweed?" Raph asked him.

"Yeah! His name was Snake, and now he's a weed, so…" Mikey continued but was soon interrupted by his red masked brother.

"We get it!" Raph stated in anger.

"We just have to hold it off until Donnie gets back!" Leo shouted at the two of them, getting annoyed at their bickering. Unfortunately for them, the door that Raph had managed to keep shut opened, and Kraang droids began to come out with blasters.

**"You spoke too soon, as usual," **Leo heard in the back of his head.

"While not getting shot by alien robots," he finished reluctantly.

"With brains!" Mikey shouted back.

"Let it go man," Raph told Mikey, somewhat annoyed.

They were surrounded by the Kraang on one side and Snakeweed on the other. Immediately, Leo and Mikey ran at the Kraang droids, while Raph handled the mutant weed.

Both the eldest and youngest turtle were handling the robots fne, until a barrage of plasma blasts came their way. They jumped away, just missing them. However, to their luck, the plasma blasts hit Snakeweed instead. The mutant didn't like it, so in response he used one of his vines to mow down both the robots and the turtles.

"What's the plan again, chief?" Raph stated. They began to push themselves off of the ground.

"I'm working on it!" Leo said in annoyance at the fact that his brother expected him to have a plan. But before he could say anymore, one of Snakeweed's vines wrapped around Leo's leg, carrying him upward.

"Woahhh!" The plant mutant began swinging him around frantically, until he stopped in front of some kind of generator.

**"Hmm, have your brothers lead the mutant towards the generator!" **Kurama suggested. "**Then, when the Kraang fire at him, it'll cause the generator to explode!" **

'_Perfect!' _he thought. Snakeweed began to swing the turtle around again.

"Raph, Mikey!" he yelled, then immediately put his sword in his mouth. He used hand signals to tell them what to do.

Surprisingly, they nodded to him. With the plan now in motion, his brothers ran and distracted Snakeweed long enough to for him to slice the vine that was holding his leg. Raph and Mikey led the plant mutant in front of the generator. They turned around and noticed the Kraang droids, which they began taunting. In response, the droids started firing at them. Both turtles avoided the blasts, but this in turn pushed Snakeweed right next to the generator.

Leo jumped on top of the generator, now pulling out the shurikens that he had gotten earlier. He threw them at the plant mutant, but only three hit him, and the fourth sailed over the Kraang's defense wall and into the night. Nevertheless, it caught Snakeweed's attention, as he turned around to face the turtle.

"Hey come and get me Stinkweed! Ahhhhh!" he taunted the mutant, sticking his tongue out with his hand in front of his face. In anger, Snakeweed tried to hit Leo with his claw, but he jumped in time, just to land on the plant mutant's back.

"Hehehehe!" he laughed, with his tongue stuck out and himself patting the bottom of his shell. The Kraang, not knowing any better, fired at the blue masked turtle.

**"Jump!" **Kurama yelled.

Leo did so, just in time for the plasma blasts. Then, after a few of them hit the generator, Snakeweed was shocked with electricity as it exploded, taking the plant mutant with it. The turtle immediately rejoined his brothers and April and ran away from the Kraang base. _**(4!)**_

* * *

_**(5!) **_April had showed them where her house was when they were taking her home. Turns out that her and her dad were only a block away from their own before they got kidnapped. Not only that, but the location of the lair was very close by to her house, so if she needed anything they could come over quickly.

"Are you going to be alright?" Donnie asked April. Leo nearly rolled his eyes.

'_Geez Don, give the girl some space,' _he thought. '_She just had all of these probably random events happen in her life today. Not only that, but we weren't able to rescue her dad either.' _

"I guess," April answered. "My aunt says I can stay here as long as I want." The blue masked turtle then sensed anger in her. The feeling flashed in her eyes.

"But I'll be a lot better when I track down the creeps that took my dad," she stated, with a hint of anger in her voice.

"April, I promise you we will not rest until we find him," Donnie reassured her.

"We won't?" Raph asked in annoyance. This earned him a jab from his older brother, as well as a flashing of fangs.

"No, _we won't_," Leo said to him, now angered by the fact that Raph had said this.

"Thank you," April said to them. "But it's not your fight." That was when Donnie put his hand on her knees.

"Yes, _it is,_" he stated.

The red head could only smile at him, which made Donnie blush even more. He smiled back at her. At that moment, the turtles began to leave, with Donnie giving her a thumbs up before turning around.

However, as three of the turtles ran off, Leo stood there staring into the night.

'_I probably should go back and grab that shuriken,' _he thought. '_Who knows what'll happen if someone finds it.' _

**"I must agree, but your brothers will most likely not want you running off now, especially after you showed up to help them." **Kurama suggested.

'_Yeah, but…' _

"Wait Leo!"

He heard the sound of April's voice calling to him. He jumped back down onto the fire escape where she was.

"Yes?" he said.

"I...I just wanted to thank you for helping me earlier," she said.

"Oh, it wasn't really that much of a big deal," he admitted.

"It was to me. And I must thank you and your brothers for doing all of this." Leo nodded, then began to leave.

"Do you think we'll see each other again?" she asked. The blue masked turtle scoffed.

"If I know Donnie, I highly doubt he wouldn't want to see you again." He turned away from her.

"But, if you want to know my opinion..." Leo looked back at April.

"I think so," the turtle finished. "Take care of yourself April. Let us know if anything happens."

He began to run off. April smiled and went inside and closed the window behind her. As Leo ran home, he began to enjoy the peace and quiet, until…

**"April and Leonardo, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N…"**

'_SHUT UP!'_

* * *

"While I am disappointed in you for leaving the lair without permission, because of what we witnessed from the state of your health, I am proud of you Leonardo, as you proved to be an effective leader under the most difficult of circumstances," Splinter said to him.

Both he and Leonardo were currently in the dojo, discussing what had just recently occurred.

When the four brothers returned to the lair, Master Splinter was not happy with one certain turtle. The fact that he had been so worried about his son nearly terrified Leonardo, for he almost found out what could happen because he ran off on his own. However, because of the special circumstances, Splinter did not punish him this time. Though the incident made Leo think about how cautious he should be when sneaking out.

"Thank you Sensei," he said, although he really didn't mean it.

From putting the pieces together from the mission, Leo eventually found out from Splinter telling him that he was selected for being the leader of the team. Of course, Raph was not happy about it, and neither was Leo and Kurama. However, they would try to find ways to sneak in training with Shishigami somehow.

"Have you figured out why I made you leader?" his Sensei asked him. Leo nearly paled at the question.

'_I don't want to answer that! Because when I do, he'll find my hatred for it!' _

**"Clever rat, always finding ways to let your anger out," **Kurama smirked.

'_Hrrmmmm,' _the turtle mentally groaned.

"Was it because I didn't plead for it?" Leo just decided to give out a random answer instead of a long thought out one, so he wouldn't have to hold back his anger.

"Yes," To his surprise, Splinter said this.

"Wait what?!" the turtle exclaimed. He had just made that answer out of nowhere, how could that be the answer?

"But you seemed so sure that you were right!"

**"I am surprised I do not sense hostility from him," **the fox replied. "**He does not seem angry from your answer. Hmmm…"**

"As a leader," the rat master began. "You will learn that there is no right and wrong. Only choices." Splinter smiled at the last part.

'_That doesn't make any sense!' _Leo thought.

"So you could've chose any of us?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Splinter answered.

"Even Mikey?" Leo had to ask.

**"I swear if he says yes, I'm going to rip his insides out," **the kitsune growled.

"No," he chuckled. "That would've been wrong."

"Everybody!" Mikey shouted from the center room, startling Leo. "Come here! We made the news!"

'_Oh no,' _The blue masked turtle thought in horror. '_Please don't tell me it's not what I think it is,' _

Both he and Master Splinter walked into the center of the lair, where he saw Mikey and Donnie sitting in front of the TV, while Raph sat off to the side.

"A report of, get this, ninjas, in New York," the announcer said. There was a small logo next to him, showing a picture of a ninja with buildings behind him, all in an apple frame.

"Don't believe me? After residents reported a disturbance, the police recovered this."

After he was done speaking, the screen changed to something that horrified both Leo and Kurama. It was the shuriken with the Hamato Clan's symbol on it that Leo had lost earlier.

"**DAM**_NIT!" _Both of them yelled.

It was rare for Leo to curse, but this was one of those occasions where he knew that this was bad.

'_I knew I should've gone back and grabbed it!' _He noticed both Mikey and Donnie had wide grins on their faces.

'_Are you kidding me? They're enjoying this?' _The TV then changed back to the announcer.

"For Channel 6 News, this is Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe saying 'Hi-yah!'" That was when the announcement ended.

"This is awesome!" Mikey shouted. "Haha! We're gonna be famous!"

'_NO! This is bad Mikey! How are you enjoying this?' _The eldest turtle thought.

"You must be more careful," Splinter warned. "The ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. Being brought out into the light is a dangerous thing."

'_Oh don't rub it in!' _Leo thought angrily.

"Relax Sensei," Raph began, trying to say that his father was too worried about this. "It's one little news story. What's the worst that can happen?"

**"We're cursed," **the fox admitted.

Having enough action for the night, Leo decided it would be best to sleep. He went to his room without disturbing his family, silently closing the door. Leo took off his wrappings and mask and laid down on the bed. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He still hadn't gotten over that shuriken.

'_I should've gone back for it,' _he said to Kurama.

'_Who knows what could happen? That thing had the clan's symbol on it and...oh no….'_

**"Hmm?" **the fox hummed.

'_What if the Shredder that Sensei talks about sees this? He'll know that Splinter's in New York.' _

**'I highly doubt that the news station would broadcast as far as Japan." **Kurama reassured him. **"Now sleep!" **

'_Fine…' _Leo closed his eyes and began to sleep.

However, Kurama was still up, his thoughts also swimming in his head.

_**"_Th_is could mean disaster if what Leonardo said happens. We'll have to train hard with Shishigami. Hmm, as bad as your luck is Leonardo, I hope it doesn't happen…" **_Finally the kitsune fell asleep.

Somewhere in Tokyo, a man suited in armor puts on a helmet, preparing to leave to find his old enemy…_**(5!)**_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 4! Yee! Now let's get into this!**

**I decided to skip some points during the original episode, how the turtles met Snake, them finding mutagen in the van, Leonardo being chosen leader, and so on. Also changed up the story a bit. I don't want the story to be exactly like the original, so I'm changing it up a bit.**

**For those of you who don't know, the shuriken that was found was most likely from Leo, who threw one at the van Snake was driving. However since he wasn't there, I just had the shuriken fly off. He did also used them when he was fighting Snake. **

**Lastly, what did you guys think? Sorry it was late, I'm having fun this summer, but I will keep this story going! And I love reviews!**

**Hmm why is Leo having deja vu?**

**Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia **


	6. Ch 5 Daylight in NYC

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back for Chapter 5! Yee! Thank you everyone for the support on the last chapter. I really appreciate it. This story is getting more and more love every day and it's making me happy! And holy Arceus! The amount of people that favorited and followed! Thank you so much dudes! But before we get into it…**

**Caliban Super Saiyan 0: Uhhh well….I wasn't planning on pairing Leo and April XD That's pretty much Kurama being Kurama. As you've probably seen so far, the story's gonna be similar if not mostly accurate to the original episodes, with added in stuff of course since the 2012 series did not have anything Naruto. You'll definitely see that during this chapter. Other than that, the pairings will probably be accurate to the show, for instance Raph x Mona (yes I am planning on going all the way up to season 4 and beyond) and Mikey x Shini (doing this instead of Mikey x Renet since Renet only shows up for like three episodes) Also while Karai is going to come in later, it won't really focus on a relationship. Overall relationships won't be the main focus of the story, but they will be there. I'm not officially pairing Leo x April, there are reasons why later on down the line, but there will be more interactions between the two of them than in the series. And Donnie will be the usual love struck turtle he is.**

**Lastly, I think a more insecure Leonardo fits this story perfectly. In the Naruto anime, having a Tailed Beast inside of you literally gets you rejected and cast away immediately, as you are considered a monster. That's why Leo is having somewhat of a conflict about his secret, as well as keeping his brothers safe, because if he uses his power, there's a chance he thinks that will end up with him getting ousted from the family. And Naruto characters? They will show up later on, not in the beginning but definitely later on. I'll leave that as a surprise! And thanks for the review! Sorry for the long response XD**

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Afternoon in Konoha - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(2) It's the training! - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(3) Daylight of Konoha - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(4) Companions - Naruto Shippuden OST **_

**Alright, let's go!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT**

**Chapter 5**

**Daylight in NYC**

_**(1) **_"Guys! Guys! Get in your spots!"

"Alright Mikey, but this is the last time!"

"Don't clip me this time!"

A low groan, or rather, _two _low groans could be heard coming from Leonardo's room. That is, if you were inside the room. The turtle had sound-proofed the room to begin with, but even then, it was a one way in, no way out kind of deal. He could hear what was going on outside, but no one could hear what was going on inside of his room. This was just for safety measures, so he could hear his brothers or Sensei coming before they came into his room and saw, well, everything.

Needless to say, it didn't help in this situation either way. Leo's brothers had been like that for the entirety of the day. So much so that the blue masked jinchuriki was really tempted to go out and just tell them to be quiet. At least he was actually doing something rather than whatever they were doing. Leo had heard Mikey say something about building a skateboard ramp. And the sounds of soda cans hitting the floor caught his attention as well.

In the matters of actually doing something, he was in fact training. Although in his brothers' perspectives it probably wasn't. Chakra control. Kurama was beginning to show him proper chakra control finally. Unfortunately that was the only kind of training he could do as of now, since this first training session with the deer god himself had to be put on hold because of…

"And now the kid goes for the world record!" Mikey shouted.

Well, _this. _

Ever since he's been made leader, his life got even more jam-packed than it was before. This made Leo irritated, as well as a certain nine-tailed fox. Neither of them were pleased to now constantly watch over the three younger brothers. Leo's already had to deal with a few incidences because of them.

A few nights ago Raph let his anger get the better of him and broke a satellite dish, causing a human to notice them and got them captured on video. And later on, the human got mutated into a giant spider. And if things weren't bad enough, Mikey had the audacity to go out and meet a friend he met on a website, which to his horror, was from the Foot Clan. His regrets of not retrieving that shuriken came crashing down on the turtle once again. Now Shredder knew they were in New York.

"He will attempt to jump two mutant turtles!" Leo heard Mikey yell. By that point, the blue masked turtle rolled his eyes in frustration, now aggravated that he probably wouldn't get anywhere tonight. He moved his legs out of a kneeling position and let them dangle over his bed, silently pleading for Mikey to stop.

**"Does he ever shut up?"** Kurama growled.

The fox wasn't a happy camper either. Leo's eyes were his eyes, and Leo's ears were his ears. So whatever the turtle heard from his brothers meant that the fox heard it too.

**"I'm at the point of taking control of your body and stir-frying him." **Leo shivered at the thought. An angry Kurama was something he didn't want. If he was angry, the negative chakra would flow out of the fox into him, making him angry as well.

'_I'll just tell them to knock it off,' _he said. '_I'm pretty sure Sensei's annoyed by this too.' _

**"Sure, and the Third Hokage can fly. That rat's most likely too deep into meditation to even notice." **

Leo could practically feel Kurama roll his eyes. The fox always had his doubts about the rodent master. Still, Leo trusted and loved Master Splinter, since he was the one who raised him and all.

"BOOYAKASHA!" Mikey's yell reached them.

'_Alright that's it!' _

The eldest turtle made his way towards the door, determined to finally shut them up so he could get some sort of piece, as well as quell the raging fire that was probably going on in his mindscape, which was caused by an angry fox. Then, he opened the door.

"What is going on in here?!"

To the shock of both Kurama and himself, he was met with the voice of his Sensei. The rat master had just come out from the dojo to witness the event. And if things couldn't get any better, both Donnie and Raph stood up to see him.

"Sensei!" they shouted.

But what they forgot to realize was the fact that Mikey was still going down the giant ramp he had built. All three of them began to scream as Mikey collided with them, sending the turtles flying and tumbling into the ground.

**"Hehehehehe….HAHAHAHA!" **The giant kitsune burst into laughter at the sight.

Leo was trying his best to hide it as well. But even he had to admit that the sight itself was pretty funny. That is, until he noticed the area around them. There were empty soda cans, pizza crusts, and pizza boxes all over the main area in the lair. Leo then noticed the giant ramp that Mikey was talking about earlier. It was huge. That was when he noticed Master Splinter walk up to the three turtles.

"How many times have I told you not to skateboard in the lair!?" He stated angrily.

"None Sensei," Mikey answered solemnly, still on top of Donnie and Raph. Kurama nearly fainted at the statement.

**"How idiotic is your family?" **The fox groaned.

"I shouldn't have to tell you!" Splinter replied. Leo shook his head.

'_Even he knows how ridiculous Mikey can be at times,' _he mentally added to Kurama's earlier statements. '_He'll try anything to get his way, and that includes skateboarding in the lair.'_

"Hmm," the rat master hummed.

He noticed that only three of his sons were in front of him. So where was Leonardo? Then Splinter turned and saw his eldest son over by the door to his room, trying his best not to laugh at his brothers' situation. Clearly he wasn't involved in skateboarding. An idea entered his head.

"Leonardo," he called to him.

Immediately the turtle froze up in place. What did Sensei want with him? Leo walked over to him.

"Hai Sensei?" He asked.

'_I have a bad feeling about this.' _

"I would like you to choose the punishment for your brothers." Splinter said. The eldest turtle's eyes widened in fear.

'_Is he seriously trying to get them to hate me even more?' _

"Well uhhh," Leo began, then trailed off.

He looked at his brothers, who had absolutely no intention of helping out. In fact, they even tried to make themselves look busy, like Ralph was reading a comic book and so forth. They knew he wasn't going to go too hard on them. Leo wasn't the type of person to do so. Then, he looked back to his father, who was at that point expecting some sort of answer.

"They could...clean up their mess?" The turtle said awkwardly.

Splinter just gave him a glare, like he was expecting more out of his eldest son. Leo tried not to sweat nervously.

'_What else am I supposed to do!?' _

Unfortunately a certain fox didn't answer him, so he was pretty much on his own. Suddenly an idea came into his head.

"And…"

He felt a heavy weight on the back of his head, and before he knew it, the turtle's voice was taken over on its own. A reddish tint grew in the turtle's blue eyes, but no one seemed to notice.

"Have them grounded for a week," Leo heard his own voice say that, only it wasn't his doing. He nearly covered his mouth in shock.

'_KURAMA!' _Leo yelled within his mind.

Only the fox said absolutely nothing. The jinchuriki could only imagine how big and wide the smirk on the kitsune's face was right about now. In other news, Leo's brothers stared at him, eyes widened in shock at what he had said. Course the turtle could've said worse, like solo Randori, but they never thought this would come from him.

Even more surprising was that Splinter said nothing to it! The rodent master stood there, eyes closed in concentration and hand stroking his beard. His eyes then opened as he glanced towards his three other sons.

"And do you think this is a fitting punishment?" He asked them. Splinter was trying to make some light out of the situation, as if he liked his sons getting punished.

"Nope."

"That's really not necessary."

"Maybe next time." They all answered.

"You're grounded for a week!" Splinter shouted at the three turtles in a stern and affirming voice, one that meant, 'if you disobey, you get solo Randori.'

"Awwww," Raph, Donnie, and Mikey groaned consecutively.

And at that moment, the ramp began to lean and groan. The foundation shook, and it fell to the ground, collapsing into pieces. The sound of it echoed throughout the lair. Leo's brothers stiffened up. However, one thought came up.

"Sensei, what about patrol?" The blue masked turtle asked.

Splinter thought about it for a moment. True, they still needed to patrol the city, but with them grounded, how would that work?

"Hmmm," the rat master hummed. As much as he didn't like his eldest son going off on his own, there had to be some way of patrolling the city.

"Leonardo, until your brothers are no longer grounded, you will be in charge of solo patrols," Splinter stated.

_'YES!'_ He mentally shouted. But the only thing that showed was a smile on the turtle's face.

"However, because this is a solo patrol, all I ask of you is to stay hidden. Your brothers will not be with you. If you do notice something strange, then come get us."

"Hai Sensei!" He said in excitement.

"You may go tonight," his Sensei answered.

With that, the turtle ran to his room to gather the things he needed. Oh this was going to be the best week ever! No one constantly nagging him. And most importantly, absolutely no getting into a fight! The blue masked turtle wanted to head out early in the daylight, just to get a few things done. And now he could, since his brothers were grounded!

**"You're welcome," **Kurama stated. Leo forgot for a moment that the fox existed.

_'__Thank you,' _he said.

**"Let's be honest, you would've never said that," **the fox admitted.

'_So taking over my voice for a moment would've been the only option?' _The turtle asked.

**"You probably would've mentioned to have them think about what they did. Leonardo, you must stand up to your brothers. I just spoke your thoughts." **

'_I know, it's just...maybe that was a bit too harsh.' _He heard the fox sigh.

'_A..anyway,' _Leo tried to change the subject. '_I should head up to the surface. It's been a few days since I last saw him.' _

The turtle grabbed whatever supplies he needed and opened his door. Closing it behind him, Leo ran towards the turnstiles, but not before passing his brothers. He noticed their glares and felt ominous emotions leaking out from them.

'_No doubt they're mad at me,' _he thought. But they said nothing to him as he went out.

"I'm going into the sewers!" he yelled, not mentioning where he was really going.

Once he was out of sight, he ran through the sewers at astonishing speed, faster than anyone could imagine. Leo knew them very well at this point, as he had gone through them more often than his brothers have in their youth. The quietness of the area calmed him, something he hadn't felt in a while, since he's had to deal with constant complaints and nagging.

The jinchuriki loved his brothers, but he knew that sometimes they could be too much for him. Sometimes his chakra would leak into his emotions, fueling them into anger, and bringing up his stress even more. This would happen whenever his brothers decided to not listen to him. Leo never wanted them to notice this was happening to him. Of course, they didn't know that Kurama existed to begin with. But he still didn't want them to know why his "anger spells" occurred, as he was always known as calm and collected for most of the time.

Who knows what could happen if they noticed his strange behavior? Would Donnie try to examine him from the inside out? Even with all the scientific equipment in the world, the purple masked turtle would never be able to find Kurama. But, there was a slight possibility that he could find his chakra pathways. As much as he knew about how hidden the fox could be, he didn't want to take the risk.

Leo finally found the manhole cover he was looking for. It led up into the Chinatown area of the city, an area where he and his brothers have been around recently since they encountered Bradford and his underlings. However there was one place he was heading for currently. With that in mind, he lifted up the manhole cover. He made sure no one was around, and climbed up to the surface.

The coast was clear. Clearly it was daylight. Leo climbed out, then slowly placed the manhole cover back on. He stayed hidden in the shadows, not letting anyone see him. The turtle stared out into the world beyond, one where humans walked freely and no one else could. He and his brothers always dreamed of being able to walk among them. However, they knew that this was nothing but a fantasy, as their appearances could never allow them to do this. But there are always exceptions…

Without a second thought, a puff of smoke appeared around the blue masked turtle. Through some training that occurred during the past few days, Leo was fully able to use the Transformation Jutsu without the use of hand seals, which were always a pain to him since he only had three fingers, and not to mention it slowed him down. Kurama stated that he could learn some jutsu, with practice, that should be able to use without the use of hand seals. This made him feel happy. Once the smoke disappeared, another form of him came out. He made sure everything was complete, which it was.

And, not for the first time, Leo stepped out into the light…

Something that his brothers could never do but he could was occurring right now. He was _walking _among _humans_. If only Donnie could see how Leo was doing it. It would've been a scientific breakthrough in his opinion. Though, he wasn't really using science to begin with. It would be hard to explain how he does it.

Nobody noticed him. Leo just walked with them. He was one of them. If this was his first time, he might've been more excited, as well as scared and nervous. But this wasn't his first visit to the surface like this. For Leo, it was even better than the time that he spent in the sewers. However, he had a place to go, and he couldn't let the person waiting for to keep waiting.

Leo began to run through the crowds, minding his business as he rushed past them. He put some of his ninja skills into use, slipping silently by without anyone noticing him. Not that they really need to notice him. His appearance was already altered to their eyes, what humans find familiar. It felt wonderful that he could walk out in open daylight in the city without a worry. Not having to worry about anyone judging him. Not having to worry about being caught.

He turned around the block, now finding his destination in a little corner of New York City. A small Asian food restaurant. Despite its size, it was very famous for its cuisine. The finest Asian food in all of New York. That was where Leo was heading now. Someone was waiting for him, expecting him to show up. After a few days, he missed the place, and oh so desperately wanted to return here.

Leo opened the door, now beginning to smell the pleasant aroma of the place. It smelled like home, but at the same time it didn't. Him and his brothers never got any good tasting food like this, but sometimes he could smell the scent of ramen and other noodles when Sensei would rarely manage to steal some from a human who would be delivering food to someone. The restaurant itself looked very oriental, with a Sushi bar in the middle, so people could see the cook prepare their food.

Speaking of the cook, he noticed him off to the side, trying his best to mop the floor. The man who owned the place wasn't that old, probably the same age as Splinter if he was still human, maybe a bit older. He wore white clothes, things that any cook would wear, as the were a bit stained and dirty. But the most noticeable thing were the black glasses he always wore. He was blind.

"Hello Mr. Murakami!" Leo called out. The man turned his head.

"Why hello there Minato!" _**(1!)**_

* * *

_Flashback, 5 years ago…_

_'I can transform into other things too?!'_

It had been a few days since the little mutant turtle found out about his foxy friend in his head. And it seemed that his spirits had been lifted higher and higher each day, the more he talked to him. Finally, there was someone out there in the world who understood him!

Not to mention, Leo had been even more interested to learn about Kurama. Since the first day, he began to wonder why there weren't anymore foxes like him out there, or how Kurama was able to get into his mind in the first place. Of course, the kitsune wasn't used to getting a lot of questions like this. Heck, he wasn't used to be talked to in a friendly manner.

And unfortunately, Kurama didn't exactly know how to handle a ten year old, whether it be human or mutant turtle. It was a weird feeling. He didn't know whether to be annoyed or actually excited. Yes the "lots and lots of questions" as Leonardo phrased it may be bothersome, but the turtle wanted to know more about him. Maybe it was a bit strange, but the fox couldn't help but swell up in pride when asked about himself and his life.

He didn't tell the child everything, otherwise it may come out too scary and horrifying. But Kurama did tell the key points. How Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths as humans called him, otherwise known as the "old man" as Kurama called him, started his existence, his hatred towards humans, his sealing into Mito and later on Kushina Uzumaki, and finally the day he was temporarily set free.

All throughout, Leonardo listened to him, paid attention, asked questions, and they weren't ridiculous ones either! That, Kurama was thankful for. He was thankful for the fact that he was sealed inside the oldest of the turtles. If he had gotten the youngest one, oh boy, the kitsune probably would've killed that one by now. But he was indeed thankful. He understood the pain that the turtle goes through, and would help him get through it.

When it came to the question, the kitsune was in a little predicament. It was obvious that the child wanted to learn more jutsu, after seeing the Transformation Jutsu for the first time. That was when he vowed that he would teach Leo at an older age. Sure, most shinobi started off at a young age, but it was too risky for Leo at this point. If he got found out, he would surely get killed, letting loose the giant fox onto the city.

So he tried his best to keep it restrained. However he accidentally leaked out the fact that there were more things one could transform into when using that jutsu. It wasn't called the "Transformation Jutsu" for nothing. But to the turtle, he didn't know any better. That is, until Kurama had said something about that.

"**Yes," **the giant fox stated. "**Those who use the Transformation Jutsu will have the ability to transform into anything they wish. However, depending on the complexity of the being or object, it may take some time to do." **

Leo was utterly amazed by this. He already knew he could transform into the lion cub, so what else could he do. Could he possibly…? No, that would be impossible. Or maybe…

_'Could I transform into a human?'_ the turtle asked. That was when Kurama's ears stood up. He didn't expect the turtle to ask _that. _

**"Well yes, however…"**

_'Please Kurama!'_ Leo begged. _'Can I try it out?'_ The giant kitsune knew this wasn't going to end well. And why would he ask about…

Oh. Now he understood. Going up to the surface the other day was just the tip of the iceberg. Leo wanted more. He wanted to see more up there. And he knew he never could because of his appearance. Kurama could empathize with him. No one really wants to see a giant fox roaming around that's as tall as a ten story building, maybe more than that height.

**"Fine," **he groaned, knowing this wasn't going to go well. **"Run out into the sewers and we'll try it out."**

_'__Yes!'_ Leo mentally shouted in joy. He leaped out of bed in excitement, heading towards the door to his room. Slowly and quietly, he opened it, making sure that his brothers and Sensei were asleep. And truth be told they were. So Leo closed the door quietly behind him, and made a break for the sewers.

The lair was out of his sight in an instant. He made sure that he was far enough away from the lair to do this. Once he was, Leo stopped running.

'_This should be far enough,' _the turtle thought. '_So is it the same as last time?' _

**"The same procedure yes," **Kurama stated. **"Imagine what would look like as I human, I suppose? Do the hand seals and shout, Transformation Jutsu. Also, try to put some clothes on this time." **The turtle nodded, blushing at the last statement.

He began to concentrate, imagining himself being a human instead of a mutant turtle. It was a difficult task, since he didn't know what he would look like as a human. Could he have brown hair? Black hair? Perhaps he was short? What clothes would he wear? Finally, something came into his head. Leo liked it, as it seemed natural to him.

**"You found one yes?" **Kurama said. Leo nodded again.

Then, Leo started to form the hand seals. Dog, Boar, and finally Ram. He could feel the surge of chakra flow through his veins, like many gateways have been opened to him.

"Transformation Jutsu!" He yelled.

A puff of smoke appeared, encasing his form in it. The turtle could feel himself change, a tingling feeling passing throughout his body.

Kurama could feel it too. The sense of change. It was as if the mutagen in the turtle's system that has mutated him ten years ago was expelled from his body, giving him a normal form. But not only that, his turtle features felt expelled from his body as well.

The giant fox wondered what the boy could become. Perhaps a child of Japanese descent? Maybe somewhat like his "father" the rodent master when he was still human. Both turtle and fox had seen the image of Hamato Yoshi many times, so maybe that might've influenced his decision. The kitsune was sure of this. Then the smoke cleared.

_**(2) **_Kurama nearly fainted.

Instead of a humanoid turtle, there stood, to the kitsune's first surprise, a clothed boy. He wore a simple white hoodie with green trimmings and blue sweatpants. Fully clothed. Except for the fact that he didn't have shoes on.

But that wasn't what almost caused him to faint. The boy had spiky, yellow-blondish hair, with almost jaw length bangs coming down each side of his head, not fully grown yet. His eyes were bright blue just as they always were. And that face...he was handsome. Unfortunately it was a face that Kurama could never forget. Not to mention he was now horrified at what Leonardo transformed into. He was practically a younger version of the Fourth Hokage!

Leo on the other hand, was mystified by what he had transformed into. He no longer had three big fingers, but five skinny fingers. His shell was gone, and Leo could feel his chest for the first time in all of his life. His skin was no longer green and scaly, but now peached colored and smooth, with a few bits of hair. The toes of Leo's feet were no longer stubby, but now longer and more disconnected, and his feet in general were longer and thinner. Leo looked around, and saw a puddle of water nearby. Curious, he looked into it, and gasped at his reflection. He was human! He was really human!

His eyes lit up in excitement. '_Woooaahhhh!'_ Leo exclaimed mentally. '_I can't believe it! It worked! I'm human! This is so cool! What do you think Kurama? ...Kurama?'_

Unfortunately the fox was still trying to recover from the likelihood of how the former turtle chose this form. How had he gotten information on this? Did he somehow see into the fox's memories? The giant kitsune was still in shock, so much so that he had fallen over and almost had foam coming out of his mouth like he had been hit in the head.

"**Min...Mina ...to ...?" **The fox breathed out unconsciously, like he was half dead.

Leo did not understand what Kurama had meant by that.

'_Minato?' _he asked. '_Is that a human name?' _He only got a low groan from the tailed beast, to which in Leo's terms sounded like a yes. Hmm. The name sounded cool. Leo liked it.

_'Can my human name be Minato?' _He asked in excitement. That was when the fox actually fainted.

_Flashback ends… __**(2!)**_

* * *

_**(3) **_Unfortunately for the fox five years down the line, the name, as well as the form, stuck to Leonardo like glue. Kurama never mentioned why he was so surprised by the name and form, and for the tailed beast he'd rather not say. He didn't want to break the kid's heart for saying that he had transformed into the fox's sealer. The jinchuriki had been so excited to actually get the transformation right the first time, and it felt so real too. Leo liked it as well. So he kept that along with his other form in his list of transformations.

Now however, just like he grew in his lion form, he grew in his human form as well. Leo was about the same height like he was in his turtle form, which was about 5 foot 8 inches. He was wearing a bigger white hoodie, with the same green trimmings. Instead of sweatpants Leo wore nice looking, navy blue jeans, and blue colored sneakers. His hair was a bit longer, now with the bangs on the sides of his head reaching his jaw, and it being more spiky and tall at the top of his head. Definitely an improvement from five years ago.

He now stood at the entrance of Mr. Murakami's Restaurant. Yes, this was the place he was heading to. Why? Because he had been working for the man for a while now, perhaps about two years, when he was able to sneak out at night and roam around the city freely without his family looking for him. That's how he's been able to make money for himself, get some cool stuff in his room, and occasionally go get himself something to eat that wasn't algae and worms.

"How are you today?" Leo, or rather, "Minato," asked.

His voice was a little bit different, deeper, not too deep, but different enough than his old voice was. He just did this as a precaution to keep his identity masked. The man turned towards his direction.

"I am fine, thank you," Murakami answered. "Could you…" He tried to gesture to the mop he was using.

"Oh yeah sure!" The blonde answered, running over to him, and picking up the mop from him. With that, Murakami went back to his cooking station.

Leo usually didn't cook. He mostly cleaned around the restaurant. It wasn't a hard job, but for Murakami it was a big help since he was blind. The now-human barely knew how to cook to begin with. However, Murakami has been somewhat teaching him to cook, though Leo couldn't exactly implement what he learned since his family would question how he had learned how to cook.

The owner of the restaurant filled him on what's been going on the past few days. Not much happened around here thankfully, since Leo had to take those few days off because of his "birthday." But Murakami was happy to see, or rather hear, from the young boy again, as he liked having company.

"How is your family?" the man asked. Leo sighed, shaking his head as he mopped the floor.

"Crazy as usual," he replied. "My brothers got grounded because father saw them attempting to skateboard in our house. So I'm really the only one who can leave the house for the week." Leo said the last part happily, knowing that it was going to be a good week.

"Do you feel happy about that?" Murakami asked.

"Well, yes and no," Leo answered. "I mean, I'm happy I don't have any responsibility over them for the time being. But I hate to say it, I was the one who told father that being grounded for a week would be a good form of punishment." He still regretted it a little. Even though Kurama said it, it was his voice, his body language, that spoke it.

"Brothers will be brothers, Minato," the man said. "I would not know much because I am an only child, but I used to have a few friends who had gone through the same experiences you have."

Leo listened to the tales that Murakami-san would tell him whenever he came around. He liked listening to him, and talking to him as well. It felt different than talking with his family, even with Kurama. It was a good feeling. Like talking to a friend.

"I know," Leo sighed. "I just...I never really said anything like that before to them. They probably hate me for it."

"Do not worry," Murakami said in reassurance. "Your brothers do not hate you. And if they do, they will most likely forgive you. Hatred does not last forever."

'_Tell that to Shredder,' _he couldn't help but think to himself. The human continued to clean the floor.

After an hour or so, he finished, and Murakami offered to make him a meal. Leo had to be honest, he would take anything over algae and worms, and now the newest edition to his and his brothers' diet, pizza. He swore that his brothers had at least eaten ten boxes of the stuff for the past few days, which sickened him greatly. No wonder the lair was severely trashed when he came out of his room.

Murakami finished up a dish for him. It was his favorite item on the menu. A specialty ramen. He stared down at the bowl of noodles and vegetables and meat. It smelled heavenly. If it was one thing that he would skip out on family mealtime for, it was this thing right here. A perfect blend of spices, flavor, and taste. He could practically feel his taste buds scream in delight at the sight of it.

"Itadakimasu," he said.

Splinter had tried teaching all four of them the Japanese language for a while, but he and his brothers thought of it as way too difficult. Fortunately, Kurama existed and became his literal dictionary and teacher when it came to this kind of stuff. Leo had picked up Japanese quickly, and unfortunately he picked up some of the nastier words, when the fox just so happened to curse or swear. But he knew not to swear often.

'_Do you want some?' _Leo asked the fox mentally.

**"Hmmm yes," **the tailed beast answered.

Kurama also suffered from the algae and worms as well, not having a decent meal in a while. And he didn't want to openly admit it, but he did like human food to some extent. Leo had ordered a large bowl to begin with, so there was plenty for the fox to put some chakra in it to make enough for himself.

He placed his five fingered hand over the bowl, and out of it came bluish colored chakra. Some of it covered the noodles and other contents, making them glow as well. Soon, they began to change into chakra, and then it flowed back into his hand. In Leo's mindscape, a bowl fit to fill Kurama's stomach materialized in front of the fox, with the noodles and other contents present.

**"Arigatō, Leonardo," **the fox replied.

'_Dōitashimashite,' _Leo answered back. They had just said thank you and you're welcome. Kurama dug into his bowl, while the boy used his chopsticks to eat.

**"Your Japanese is getting better," **he commented. "**You even have the accent down." **He didn't dare to say it, but the fox thought Leonardo even sounded like Minato at times. Even the voice as well. But he brushed this thought away.

'_Thanks,' _he said. Leo just finished his first bite into the meal. It was heavenly.

"Mmm, excellent as always, Murakami-san," the human complimented.

Even the old man decided to have something to eat. Business today was rather slow, the rush hour of people had already gone by. So he decided it was time to eat something. Murakami sat next to Leo, enjoying a bowl of ramen as well.

"You are fifteen now?" the old man asked. Leo slurped up some of the noodles into his mouth.

"Hmm Mmm!" he answered in a funny way, trying to down the food.

"A few days ago. My family celebrated all four of us turning fifteen. We got to walk around the city at night for the first time by ourselves. Though I got placed in charge of them, and it didn't end that well…"

"It was fun, I guess," Leo shrugged at the last part. "I didn't really get to have as much fun as I thought I would. Watching over my brothers takes a lot out of me. Sometimes it's too much. That's why I like coming here. I'm able to get away from them. I love them dearly, but sometimes I want to be out on my own, ya know?" He sighed at the last part, taking another bite of ramen.

"There comes a time in life where we must leave," Murakami began. "I'm not originally from America as you know. I left my family when I was about your age. I wanted to find a new life, to see what my path was. Each of us has something out there waiting for us. Even you, Minato. There is something out there waiting for you. But you must be the one to go out and take it."

"You sound a lot like my father," Leo said, but instantly regretted it. "Uhh in a good way! In a good way!" He tried to cover up his mistake. Murakami only chuckled.

"Perhaps I will get to meet your family one day…" the old man answered. Leo froze up.

"Yeah…" he trailed off, knowing that it was most likely impossible for the rest of his family to meet Murakami.

He finished the entire bowl, and Kurama finished his portion as well. Leo worked around the noodle shop for another hour, then got ready to return home. Back to where he would face more of the glares from his brothers, and once again become the mutant he was. But before he could head out the door, a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him. Leo turned around and saw Mr. Murakami.

"Murakami-san?" the boy asked. "Is...is something wrong?"

The old man lifted his other hand, where there was a small white envelope. How he had gotten it Leo would never know. He took it from his hand and opened it. His eyes widened in shock. In it contained more money than he was usually given.

"I...I can't accept this!" Leo stated. "It's too much!"

"Do not worry," the old man said to him. "It is my birthday gift to you. Go and spend it on something you wish to have." Leo stared at the man in shock, not knowing what to say.

"Take it, Minato," Murakami said. The boy nodded, though he knew Murakami wouldn't see it.

"I...I...Thank you!" Leo exclaimed. "I'll use it well, I promise!" With that, Leo ran out the door.

He ran back into an alley, making sure that no one saw him. Opening up the manhole cover, Leo climbed down, then proceeded to close it behind him. Once he reached the bottom of the ladder and into the sewers, he released the jutsu, turning back into the mutant turtle he was. Home now on his mind, the blue masked turtle made a break for home, running through the sewers at a breakneck speed. _**(3!) **_

Soon, he hopped over the turnstiles that lined the entrance of the lair.

"I'm home!" Leo yelled. The lair itself was very quiet, quieter than usual.

'_Where is everyone?' _the mutant turtle thought to himself. Then, he saw Master Splinter come out from the dojo.

"Master Splinter," he greeted, bowing in front of him. Leo couldn't help but look around. "Where are my brothers?"

"They are in their rooms," Splinter said in a serious tone, possibly indicating that something might've happened. But the rat said nothing.

"How was your patrol in the sewers?" Leo became ecstatic.

"Oh it was great Sensei!" the turtle exclaimed in happiness, then it went to nervousness. "Nothing bad happened I swear!" he shook his head frantically, a nervous smile growing on his face.

"Hmm," the rat master hummed. "You seem...excited. Did something occur, my son?" Leo then thought for a minute. Well, he couldn't tell that he went up to the surface and what occurred there, but he came up with something.

"No, nothing really," Leo answered. "It's just...it's been a long time since I've been able to get out by myself, that's all. I was having fun."

He instantly regretted saying that. Master Splinter's ears lowered in confusion.

"Do you not feel happy around your brothers?" he asked. The jinchuriki felt himself go pale for a moment.

'_Dangit! I shouldn't have said that!' _he thought.

"No, I just...I don't know…" Leo said aloud. He looked down towards the ground. "It just felt good to get out by myself, that's all."

"Anyway, I'm going to rest for tonight's solo patrol, if that is fine with you?" The rat master nodded, knowing that his son would need rest for the patrol tonight.

"Thank you Sensei," he bowed, and immediately headed for his room. He closed the door behind him. However, the rat master couldn't help but wonder about something. Was his son changing?

The turtle flopped onto his bed, now feeling the comfort that came with it. He sighed, letting himself relax. Finally, he was at peace.

'_Well,' _he thought. '_That was fun. What'd you think of the food Kurama?' _The fox didn't answer him. '_Kurama?' _Leo called him. Once again, the fox didn't answer. So the turtle closed his eyes, and began to drift into his mindscape.

He got there in an instant. The cave hadn't changed a bit in the past few years. The moon, or what his mind projected as the moon, shone through an opening at the top of the cave, and into a small pond below. On the edge was the large barred prison where Kurama was. Only the front of it had bars, as the cave walls made up for the rest of it. Walking towards the bars of the prison, Leo could see Kurama sitting still. His eyes were closed as he had his paws together, like he was in a meditative state.

"Oi! Oi! Kurama!" he yelled, trying to get the fox's attention. Nothing happened.

"Kurama?" he asked. Again, nothing. Leo stood there for a few minutes, waiting for the fox to respond. Then, his head began to move, as he opened his mouth to speak. Though his eyes remained closed and he retained his position.

**"Shishigami wants you tonight," **Kurama spoke.

Leo felt his skin crawl. He only saw the deer god once, and during that encounter he had no idea who he was. Once the turtle returned home, the fox spirit informed him on the holy status that Shishigami had. Now knowing more about him, Leo was a bit terrified that the deer god wanted to see him.

"Is that what you're…" Leo trailed off.

**"Doing right now?" **Kurama answered, but retained his position again. **"I am speaking to him. He wants your training to start tonight, since he found out about the incident with your brothers. It is perfect timing, he says." **

"Oh, ok…" He was still nervous at the fact that a literal _god _was going to teach him more jutsu, but at the same time he could be more excited.

**"He wants you to rest, once we're done with the solo patrol, he'll call you." **

Leo left his mindscape, now coming back to the comfort of his bed. His eyes opened, as he shifted his position. The turtle put his head back on his pillow and threw the blankets over his body. He had gotten heavier ones than the bits and pieces of fabric that he and his brothers had to use for the past ten years. With that, Leo drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"OHAYOU SEKAI GOOD MORNING WORLD! GOOD MORNING WORLD! Good…"

The rest of the wake up call wasn't heard, as headphones went flying to the other side of the room, hitting the soft sound-proof padding. Its owner was a now angry mutant turtle.

'_YOU JUST HAD TO PLAY IT DIDN'T YOU?' _All he could hear was the sound of laughing fox. This is the one Leo never wanted to hear.

He eventually got up, grabbing whatever he needed for the solo patrol, such as some extra shurikens. Once he had tied his mask on, Leo opened his door and headed out. He had slept for only a few hours, but he could feel that his chakra had been replenished. The turtle went over to the dojo to see Master Splinter before going to the surface.

"I'm heading out Sensei," he told him.

Splinter seemed a little on edge. He could understand that. Having your eldest son go up top alone after all that had happened in the past was a bit worrying.

"Be safe, my son." the rat master stated. Leo nodded.

"I will. I'll come home, I promise." the jinchuriki answered. Then, he headed out, passing by his brothers. Unbeknownst to him, the three shared a similar glance, smirks growing on their faces as they went to their rooms to grab something.

Once Leo knew he was far enough from the lair, without a second thought, a puff of smoke appeared. His turtle form disappeared, and out came his lion form. He picked up speed, becoming almost faster than a blink of an eye. Leo ran north, thinking that it would be best to check around the north side of the city, as it was the quietest part. With his speed and his ability to sense any sort of trouble, he would be done in at least an hour.

After running for a bit, he found a manhole cover and decided to climb up. Leo pushed the cover up, then placed it back down once he was out. The lion climbed up a fire escape, and got up onto the roof of a building. Thus, he began his search.

It was a long and boring patrol. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. No foot, no kraang, no nothing. He even went through Central Park, finding no trace of, well, anything. He got closer and closer to the southern end of the city. Usually Chinatown had some action going on. But throughout the whole city, it was very quiet. Leo leaped over an alley, where he didn't notice a man in some not so fancy plate armor was struggling to get out of a dumpster. He leaped over another alley, where a manhole cover was being closed by a green, three fingered hand.

Even Chinatown was quiet, which was very unusual. There was at least one criminal that would be doing something. But alas, nothing was there. So Leo then finally headed out for the docks, trying to see if something was there. He reached them in no time at all, and nothing was there either. The lion could smell the seawater as a sea breeze flowed through his mane.

_**(4) **_"_This is unusual,"_ Leo thought to himself. "_I didn't see or sense anything tonight. This is weird…" _

Perhaps he should go around again? Then again, the deer god was waiting for him. He couldn't keep him waiting any longer. Leo stared out towards the water, wondering what could be out there. Was there anything out there waiting for him? Was that the way to Kurama's homeland?

His thoughts were calmed by the sea, but one still hung around in his mind. Leo's chakra training would begin tonight, meaning that it would become harder and harder to hide his true strength. He would have to hold back very much when sparring with his brothers and Sensei, so that he wouldn't accidentally injure them and get caught. But if he didn't begin to train, how would he protect his family from the future threats that would most likely come their way? Especially since it was his fault Shredder found out they were in New York.

'_Do I do this, and begin a dangerous life?' _Leo mentally asked himself. '_Or do I not do this, and have to face dangers with unbelievable odds?' _

His heart knew the answer, but he really didn't want to choose. Leo would do anything to protect his family, even if it meant sacrificing himself. To not be able to protect them would mean failing his own life. He knew the burden. And as much as he hated it, he would carry it. He would become stronger if it meant that his family was safe.

The lion closed his eyes, as he felt a rush of power go through his system. Leo's mind only focused on one thing.

'_I'm ready,' _Leo thought.

Ready to take up the challenges before him. As Murakami had said earlier, he had to find his own path, whether it be long and hard or short and sweet. This is what Leo wanted. To find himself and what his destiny was. And if his destiny was to train under the deer god himself, then so be it.

After he had thought of those words, he felt his body being swept off of the ground. A bluish aura covered his entire being as he was transported back to the forest. Then, Leo could feel the grassy earth underneath him and the clear moonlight hitting his fur. He opened his eyes, now finding himself at the entrance of the Spirit Plane. The inside of the mountain was just as he remembered it, with the moonlight peeking in from above and the flowers blooming all around the grassy plane. Tonight was a full moon.

And there, right in front of him, was the deer god himself, Shishigami. Only he didn't look as he did the last time Leo saw him. His body shape was the same, but now he looked more transparent, his fur had become more like a starry galaxy. Like the universe itself. This was Shishigami's true form. They both stared at each other in silence, until the deer god broke it.

"Leonardo," he began.

It was as if the universe itself was speaking to him. In response, Leo knelt down on one knee in front of the god, out of respect. Then, he felt another presence beside him, as he saw the giant form of Kurama next to him. He was sitting down, his head low and eyes closed. Shishigami turned to the kitsune.

"Kurama," he acknowledged. Then, he turned back to the lion.

"Rise Leonardo," the deer god commanded. Leo did so.

His eyes locked with his own. He had a serious look on his face. Calm and collected as always. Shishigami walked towards him, his features stoic as ever. Then, once he was close enough, the deer god put his hand on the lion's shoulder.

"Hamato Leonardo," Shishigami began. "You are about to begin the most difficult challenge in your life. The path to becoming a full fledged shinobi. With no doubt, there will come times of pain, suffering, and hardships. Your strength in body, mind, and spirit will increase tenfold, but with a price. If your family were to ever discover your secret path, there is a possibility of yourself being disowned and disgraced by them."

"Yet you show extravagant potential. At the age of ten, you successfully tamed and befriended a tailed beast, something that no one in history has ever done. At your current age, your strength and dexterity outclass your father's own. With that in mind, to pass upon an invaluable chance like this one would not only be a missed opportunity, but would also put your family's lives in danger because of the fact that you are not strong enough."

"However, you have your freewill, and I have mine. You have been told before that you must set your own path. Follow what your heart believes is right. Whether you choose to train as a shinobi or not is up to you. As the eldest of the family, the situation of what the best option is has always come up in life from time to time. Now, you must choose what is best for yourself and your family. Leonardo, what will you choose?"

Leo looked up at Shishigami. "I...I want to train with you," he began.

"As a shinobi, my life isn't the most important, instead my family's lives are the most important. I want to become stronger for their sake. And if they ever find out that I trained under you, no matter how much they scold me, punish me, or even…" he choked at the last part. "...hate me...I will continue to fight for them. They are all I have to live for."

Shishigami smiled, nodding in reply. He took his hand off of the lion's shoulder, then walked away from him. Now, the deer god stood in front of the tailed beast, his expression never faulting in the slightest.

"Kurama," the deer god began. "Kyuubi. The Nine-Tailed fox. For the past fifteen years of your life, you have put your faith and trust into Leonardo. So much so that you felt the need to save his life all those years ago when he was just an infant, not knowing how the child would turn out. But nevertheless, you changed your view and gave him life."

"Are you willing to pass on the teachings that the Sage of Six Paths has taught you? Remember, you are teaching something with human sentient. Though not human, he acts like one. Teaching him may make you a disgrace to your brethren beasts, as well as pose a danger to shinobi lands if they were ever to hear of him. There is the possibility that he could be killed because of that."

"Not only that, but your freedom will be put on the line. I am not sure if you ever retain full freedom again. However, you have lived within Leonardo for the past fifteen years. I am sure you have developed your own opinion on him by now. Kurama, what will you choose?"

The kitsune could only smile.** "Heh! You know my answer already don't you, Shishigami?" **Kurama inquired. **"While Leonardo isn't the most perfect jinchuriki out there…" **He received a glare from a certain lion.

**"...he has been the best one so far. Leonardo has treated with respect, something I haven't been treated with since my creation. I trust him with my life, as does he. I would be honored to teach him. Besides, the previous jinchuriki were both as…."**

"Kurama!" Leo cut him off. "I think Shishigami gets it, hehe."

Either way, whether or not he had heard the course language come out from the fox's mouth, Shishigami nodded to him. He walked away from the fox, now in between the jinchuriki and the beast.

"From this day forward, Leonardo, you are now a shinobi under Kurama and myself's care," Shishigami stated. He then turned to the fox, a nod came soon afterward. Kurama knew what it meant, and pulled out a small box, which was on one of his tails. Leo looked at it curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

**"This is my birthday present to you," **the fox said proudly. The lion walked up to it, lifting it up form the orange tail. It wasn't wrapped, it was just a white box. Leo lifted the cover, and saw a piece of metal. A kanji was written on it.

_Shishi. _In english, _Lion. _

His eyes widened in excitement. Could this be what he thought it was? He tugged at the metal, which pulled out easily, revealing a blue fabric that was attached to it. It was indeed, a forehead protector.

"YES!" he shouted in happiness. Leo now his own forehead protector! And it was just the right size too! "Kurama, where did you get this?!" he asked. The kitsune could only chuckle.

**"I have my ways, just as you have yours." **Kurama replied.

The lion brushed away a little bit of his mane that covered his forehead. Then he tied the band around his head. The back of it didn't show, as his mane covered it up, however the front was visible, with a few pieces of his mane going over it.

"I have a gift for you as well," the deer god said. He disappeared for a moment, then reappeared with a small stack of clothes.

"These are for you," he began. "They are clothes that are stronger and more durable than what you have on now. Normal shinobi wear these. A flak jacket and pants." Shishigami handed them to Leo, who looked at them with interest. "Go and change into these."

He nodded, running off to a small cave to get dressed. Kurama glanced at Shishigami.

**"The forehead protector was forged yes, but where exactly did you get...those?"** the fox asked.

"Don't ask," the deer said. Then, a horrifying thought came to Kurama's mind.

**"Will those transfer over to his human for as well?" **the kitsune asked, his voice was a bit shaky.

"They should, why?"

**"Leonardo!" **Kurama yelled. **"Come out in your other form once you're dressed!" **Irritation but also wariness filled his voice.

"Uhh alright!" a voice yelled back from the cave. Shishigami gave the fox a questioning look.

"Are your afraid of something?" the deer god asked.

**"I've been meaning to ask you," **he began.

"Yes, go ahead."

**"How does reincarnation work in humans?" **Shishigami didn't expect that. Why would the fox ask that?

"Well, reincarnation shouldn't happen, other than Hagoromo's two sons," the deer god went on. "Humans should go to the Pure Land. Why are you asking something that is such…"

"What do you think?" they heard Leo's voice behind them.

They turned around. That was when the deer god almost fainted. In front of them was Leonardo, in what he deemed his human form, with a green flak jacket on and blue pants. His forehead protector was slightly covered by his bangs. Now he understood why the kitsune had asked him. The boy in front of him looked exactly like a young Minato! The facial features, clothing, sandals, everything.

"Does it look bad?" Leo asked. Shishigami immediately shook his head.

"No no no!" said nervously. "Maybe we should stick to your normal attire for the time being."

"Oh...alright," Leo answered, and immediately went back to changing. The deer god looked back at the tailed beast. Shishigami still had a shocked expression on his face.

**"Please tell me that he's not…" **Kurama began, but soon trailed off. **"Please tell me it's purely a coincidence." **The fox was begging for an answer.

"It's just a coincidence," Shishigami said with firm belief.

"Maybe he attained a vision of the form from your dreams. While I would say Minato's dead, I can't be so sure of it. I don't talk with the Shinigami that often, but I know that no soul other than mine and a few others could never escape him. So he is most likely dead for your information." Kurama sighed in relief.

"However," the deer began. "You must never tell him whose form that is."

**"Agreed," **the fox stated. Leonardo then came out again.

"Is this better for now?" he asked. He was wearing his white hoodie with the green trimmings, as well as the jeans.

If Shishigami's mouth didn't drop before, it most certainly dropped now.

**"A coincidence, please?" **Kurama whispered out.

"I...mostly certainly...hope so…" Shishigami answered. Then he turned to Leonardo.

"Now, let us begin!" _**(4!)**_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey guys! That's the end of Chapter 5! This in my opinion has been my favorite chapter so far to write! And fun fact, this was one of the chapters that was thought of when I first conceived this story. But now let's get into some things!**

**Honestly the Murakami scene was the first thing I thought of when I began thinking about this story. I thought it would be interesting to have Leo go out in the world before brothers did, and having him know Murakami since he was blind and all, and he runs a noodle shop. Also some of the Japanese I got was from google translate. Unfortunately I don't know that much, so correct me if I'm wrong XD**

**And hey guess what for those of you who guessed about this? Leo does have a human form! And it's Minato XD I just did this to torment Kurama. But if I must be honest, I always imagined him having blonde hair. Most people say he would have black hair cause of Splinter, but I like him having blonde hair, since blonde hair and blue eyes are common, and that's what I have as well. The more you know.**

**Thus, Leonardo starts his training! Yay! I must be honest, I'm thinking about doing a little oneshot series about some random things that I haven't written about in this story. Perhaps how he met Murakami, and some jutsu training, and some scenes from his childhood. Let me know what you think!**

**Lastly, thank you everyone for the support on this story. Tell me what you think! I love reviews! It keeps me going!**

**I swear Kurama is just the most superstitious person lol, oh and btw, the song is from the first opening for Dr. Stone, may or may not be doing something about that in the future XD **

**Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia **


	7. Ch 6 The Nine-Tail's Mercy

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 6! Yee!**

**Holy Arceus! 20 favorites? This story is skyrocketing! Thank you so much everyone out there in the universe! I really appreciate it! Before we get into anything…**

**Sonavelkovskaa5842: I had to translate this lol, but thank you dude!**

**I'm gonna skip ahead a few episodes, just because I think that Leo didn't have much influence over those episodes, as he wasn't the main focus. Also, trying to do every episode in the series would be a literal pain, so I won't be doing that. However, I will include what happened, as I've done with the previous chapter. But just to let you know, the Leo-centric episodes will be a high priority, as well as the most important ones and some that I'll throw in for fun. **

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Nervous- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(2) Raikiri (Thunder Break)- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(3) Loneliness- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(4) Sadness and Sorrow- Naruto OST 1**_

**Now, let's do it to it!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.**

**Chapter 6**

**The Nine-Tails' Mercy**

A week had passed since Leo had first started his training with Shishigami, and to some extent Kurama. And so far, the passage of time seemed rather long and never ending. It didn't help that his training caused him aches and pains. Getting the flow of chakra correct wasn't going well the first few times, so much so that it was causing him pain.

Not that Shishigami was surprised. Leonardo's body was not meant to hold chakra, and by extension not meant to be able to use it. So getting those gateways open was a priority. Yes, while the Transformation Jutsu did open some of the chakra gateways, it didn't open up the ones that most shinobi needed. And with the amount that the jinchuriki possessed, he needed more to be opened.

It was painful to say the least. The deer god had to do a personal nerve point session with Leonardo in order to open up the gateways. Otherwise, it they stayed closed, many things could happen, like his system overloading, or even worse, death. That was something the deer god had to keep in mind. Thankfully, and for some strange reason that neither Leo nor Kurama wanted to ask, Shishigami somehow knew acupressure, meaning that he could open those gateways. Unfortunately it had to be the hard way.

The gateways were close to the nerves, so by conducting these procedures, Leo's chakra would be able to flow freely from then on. This process took a while, as the deer god realized that a reptile's skin was hard as a rock, and Leonardo's more so since he was a mutant, so he had him switch over to his human form instead. This made the process more painful for the jinchuriki, but what mattered most was getting those gateways open.

Sadly for Shishigami, he felt terrified at the fact that he was looking at the Fourth Hokage, even though in reality he wasn't. It just didn't seem possible that he would somehow obtain the form of Minato, and even call himself Minato! Even worse, this form was one that was used often during training. And the way he moved...it was just sooo...Minato! Shishigami sighed. He would get over the initial shock eventually. He just had to convince himself it was just a coincidence. After all, nothing escaped the Shinigami's stomach.

Leo was fully oblivious as to why the deer god looked at him this way, but he still had some suspicions. Either way, the gateways were finally opened. And he felt a rush of power flow through his system. It felt good and natural, like it belonged to him. Now Leo just had to get the hang of it and he would be a shinobi in no time!

If only he could say that tonight.

He didn't mind though. April was taking him and his brothers out to eat somewhere tonight, which his first thought was, '_Wouldn't someone notice?' _His brothers had asked her about his, but she just said that it was a surprise. How could April take them out somewhere when people would definitely notice their appearance? Oh well, guess he would find out.

Leo ran across the rooftops with ease, as his brothers took the more stealthier and fun approach as they hid behind certain areas and buildings on the ground. He hated to admit it, but they were being a bit slow. Oh how he wished he could just run off to their destination at full speed. Thankfully, April seemed to notice this.

"You guys wanna speed it up a little?" she asked, clearly annoyed.

'_Thank you April! I really wanted to speed this up!' _Leo thought.

**"Hmm, are you saying that your girlfriend is right?" **Kurama snickered from the back of his mind. In response, the turtle blushed.

'_Kurama! She's not my girlfriend alright! I don't love her. Donnie loves her. And besides...things would never really work out anyway…' _

The fox knew what he was getting at, as he realized that Leonardo added in a somber tone at the end of this thoughts. While April did know him, she didn't _know _him. She didn't know of the dangerous life he lived, as well as how much risk there would be in the future. And as much as Leo wanted to find someone, he knew that there probably wasn't out there who would accept him. No amount of Transformation Jutsu would fix that.

"Are you saying turtles are _slow?_" he heard Donnie question below him. He saw April turn around to see the purple-masked turtle come out from behind a movie theater ticket booth.

'_Well, we have been moving at this pace for the last time minutes. Where the heck are we going anyway?' _

"That's a hurtful stereotype," Leo heard Mikey say, and the blue-masked jinchuriki was more than surprised at what his youngest brother had to say.

**"To think your brother is capable of such words…" **Kurama stated. Leo heard the sound of the fox falling to the ground, indicating that he faked fainting. "**I must be under a genjutsu…" **The turtle inwardly chuckled.

'_You'd be surprised by his 'smart moments' that happen once in a while. But they don't last long.' _

**"I wish they did." **

"Trust us April," Leo said to her from the top of the building. She then noticed him up there. "We are better off keeping a low profile. We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist."

**"Agreed, otherwise your annoying brother would've tried to have me come out by now and give him piggyback rides. Hrmm." **Both fox and turtle had to admit that sometimes it was better for his family to not know that Kurama existed.

"Sorry," April apologized to them. "I'm just so excited to get you guys out of the sewers for a change."

Leo almost wanted to say, "But I go out every day!" but he withheld it, knowing what that would entail if it ever got out. While he was fine going out with the guys for a change, he really wanted to be out at Talbot Peak training under Shishigami. The deer god said he would be learning a new jutsu the next time he saw him after all.

"What are you talking about?" Leo heard Raph say, as he realized that his other two brothers were hiding behind the same movie theater booth, just on the opposite side of Donnie. "We go out all the time!"

"Yeah, but tonight you are going to do something besides hitting people," April said to him.

"Aww…" Raph whined, upset that he wasn't going to beat up anyone tonight.

'_Maybe it's better if we don't beat up anyone tonight,' _Leo thought to himself. '_I really don't feel like getting into a fight with him now.' _Something clicked in the back of his mind. The way they were going seemed...too familiar. His mind filled with terror.

'_Wait, isn't this the way to…'_

"Don't worry, you're gonna love this noodle place I've found!"

The blood rushed out of the jinchuriki's face as he went pale. Now Leo knew exactly where he was going.

'_Ohhhhh I'm so dead,' _he thought. '_Oh I'm so dead. I'm so dead.' _

It was like a mantra that played over and over inside his head. This was very bad. Kurama could sense Leonardo's fear, and understood it completely. If this was where they thought they were going, then secrets would spill out.

**"Maybe it's not the old man's place," **the fox commented. **"There are tons of noodle shops in the city." **

'_Ye...Yeah. Maybe you're right,' _he said to him, his fear dissipating. There were plenty of noodle shops in the city. They couldn't possibly go there.

"And you're sure we'll be welcome?" Donnie asked. He had every right to be nervous. It wasn't every day that four, giant turtles with ninja weapons walked into a restaurant expecting food. To his relief, April nodded her head.

"Don't worry. Mr. Murakami won't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like. He's blind."

It felt like all the blood from Leonardo's body drained from him in an instant, his entire body going white like a ghost.

'_Should I plan my funeral?' _Leo thought.

The thought of going to see Mr. Murakami without being disguised as 'Minato' terrified him. The old man just had this way of finding out something without anyone giving some sort of hint towards it.

If he found out that he was Minato, then what was he to say to his brothers and April? 'I've been meeting with this guy for three years now?! Oh and by the way, there's a giant fox living inside my soul that has allowed me to transform into a human, thereby being able to come up to the surface without humans judging me?!'

"Awesome!" He heard Mikey yell.

Leo looked over at this youngest brother in confusion, only to see the orange masked turtle get smacked in the head by Raph.

"I mean, for us obviously."

This was not a good thing if they were heading over to Mr. Murakami's. What could he do to not go there? Fake sickness? No, they would see through that easily. Make an excuse, like patrolling the city? No, then April would get upset.

'_Come on Leo, think!' _He thought to himself. '_There has to be some way out of this!'_

_**(1) **_As they neared the restaurant, the blue masked turtle couldn't help but feel a negative presence. And it was coming from the restaurant itself.

**"Enemies," **Kurama stated. "**Inside the restaurant." **Leo could sense it too.

'_There's...three of them,' _he processed. '_And it feels like their...attacking him!' _

Without a second thought, Leo ran towards the noodle shop, ignoring the fact that his brothers were close by.

Fortunately and unfortunately for him, April noticed him run off.

"Hey guys, where's Leo going?" she asked.

The three brothers looked up, and saw the blue masked run off with great speed. Raph nearly smiled in excitement. He knew what that meant when his brother decided to run on ahead. April looked at him in confusion.

"Does he normally do that?" she asked.

"When he does that, there's usually trouble nearby," Raph smirked. "Which means we're gonna hit people tonight!"

The red masked turtle pulled out his sais and ran in the direction that his elder brother ran in. Donnie and Mikey soon followed suit, and April just shook her head.

"So much for a normal night," she sighed, then followed them.

After passing a few blocks, Leo found himself in front of the familiar noodle shop, the same one that he had been visiting for the past few years. He could hear the sounds of dishes breaking, of chairs hitting the floor, and most importantly, the sounds of punching. His chakra flared up, the turtle's demeanor now taking on a ferocious look. Leo's eyes became red with hatred, pupils becoming the size of pinpricks and more animal-like.

'_Those...Jerks!' _the jinchuriki thought, hatred over taking his being.

His teeth became sharp, as he bared them in anger. Leo oh so badly wanted to teach those hurting Mr. Murakami a lesson. That they shouldn't mess with the old man. Otherwise they would have another thing coming for them. However, something snapped him out of his trance, as he heard the sound of running feet behind him. His brothers and April.

Leo's chakra dissipated immediately. His anger died down, now forcing himself to hide his hatred. The turtle's eyes turned blue once more, as he calmed down finally. With his family here, he couldn't let them see him in a state like that. Leo was even thankful that they showed up, for if they didn't, he probably would've gone berserk. And he most certainly didn't want that to happen.

He had the power to sense negative emotions after all. Those emotions affected him strongly. With chakra, not only was his strength heightened, but his thoughts and emotions were as well, which meant it was hard for them to control. Especially with a tailed beast inside of him. He had to keep it in control. Otherwise who knows what could happen. All Leo knew was that he didn't want to imagine it.

"Oh no," Leo heard April behind him.

She then headed towards the door, and she seemed to know what was going on inside. The four brothers then followed her to the door.

"Who are those creeps?" Donnie asked.

"The Purple Dragons," April mentioned. "They think they own the streets around here." Her tone indicated that she was very annoyed at this.

Just as Leo and Kurama had sensed, there were three gang members inside the shop, destroying things inside. The sounds of things breaking rang inside his ears. He could understand April's annoyed tone, but his was more so hatred than annoyance. Mr. Murakami had treated him with kindness over the past few years, and with sympathy when there was no one else to talk to besides Kurama. To see the noodle shop destroyed like this...it took every ounce in his body to hold it all in.

'_I should've said no and came here to work instead!' _the jinchuriki thought to himself, regretting that he had said yes to April and had to turn down the old man to work the night.

'_If I was here earlier, these guys would've been long gone.' _The regret and failure began to set in.

**"If you came here instead, based on your luck your brothers would've been able to have the slightest hint that it was you," **Kurama spoke. **"It would've looked suspicious to have a blonde-haired, blue eye human who walks, talks, and acts exactly like you. Believe me, I have dealt with past failures. Don't dwell upon it now. Now go hit people!" **

'_You've always got to bring in sadistic humor, don't you?' _Leo inwardly chuckled. Despite his thoughts, the turtle now felt better about himself.

**"My job is to make sure you don't go on a murder rampage throughout the city using my chakra as a source," **Kurama stated.

'_Wait wha..!' _

**"Forget it, go you stupid baka!"**

"So much for not hitting people tonight…" Leo sighed, but in reality he was very happy to do so. Next to him stood Raph, who unlike the blue masked turtle, openly showed his excitement.

"Oh well," he stated happily, still shrugging off his older brother's statement. Then, Mikey kicked down the door.

"Booyakasha!" he yelled with excitement.

This however, announced their presence to the three gang members inside. Each seemed to be of Asian descent, wore black and purple, and had a dragon tattoo their arms. Yep, these were definitely the Purple Dragons. But how come Leo didn't know of them? He thought that Mr. Murakami would've told him about them at this point. Then again, maybe he didn't want him to worry.

"Huh?" one of them gasped at the sight of the four giant mutant turtles.

He was most definitely the leader of the group. The other two men then glanced over and saw the mutants as well. They stood behind their leader. Leo's eyes narrowed in anger, but the blue masked turtle tried to keep his calm composure.

"Alright, let him go," Leo began, his eyes taking on a reddish tint. "You don't want any trouble."

"We, on the other hand, do," Raph came up to him, a smirk forming on his face.

"Woah, those guys were serious," the leader of the Purple Dragons began. "They really are giant turtles." This surprised the four mutants and April, Leo especially.

'_Now I really shouldn't have thrown that shuriken…' _he thought to himself. The blue masked turtle still regretted that action, since all the excitement they've experienced for a while has been because of the Foot Clan.

**"And you would've died otherwise," **The kitsune spoke. **"What**** have I told you about past regrets!?" **The turtle nearly flustered in nervousness.

'_Sorry! Sorry!' _Leo mentally told him. Still, it surprised them both that the Purple Dragons gotten information about them. Who told them?

"You've heard of us?" Mikey asked, bringing Leo out of his thoughts. "Dudes, we're famous!"

**"Remind me one day to slap him," **he heard the fox say. The turtle inwardly chuckled.

'_He always seems to make light of the situation,' _he noted. '_But it's still bad that they know about us. How do they know of our existence?' _

"That's bad," Donnie scolded Mikey, glaring at him.

"Oh...right," Mikey answered sheepishly, his excitement at the fact he had just heard beginning to disappear.

"Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours," the leader of the Purple Dragons affirmed. "So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from?"

**"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME, HUMAN!" **Kurama's voice roared in Leo's mind. It took every ounce of the turtle's strength not to clench his head.

'_Kurama…' _he mentally said to him. While the blue masked jinchuriki also thought of it as offensive, it wasn't on the level of the fox's anger.

"Actually we're freshwater turtles," Donnie spoke up, and Leo could only silently groan inside his head.

'_Oh you've got to be kidding me…' _he groaned. '_Of all the times Donnie, does it have to be now?!' _

"I suspect we're derived from the diamondback terrapin, but it's possible that we're common box-" _**(1!)**_

_**(2) **_"Get em'!" the lead gang member yelled.

Both fox and turtle smirked, now knowing that the genius turtle finally shut up. The brothers then ran into the fray, taking on the gang members. Leo stood back, as one of the humans, who was holding a sledgehammer, came right at him. Then, the turtle ducked as Mikey kicked the human out of the way.

Leo noticed that the leader of the gang was still behind the bar, watching the scene. The turtle then leaped over the bar counter, now face to face with the man. Something caught his attention, as his nose picked up the faint scent of iron. He glanced at the man, who he noticed had a little bit of blood dripping down his hand.

'_No…' _the jinchuriki thought frantically. Could they have beaten up Mr. Murakami to the point where he was bleeding.

**"Unfortunately," **the giant kitsune replied. **"Look behind you." **

The turtle glanced behind him, and his eyes widened in fear. He saw the old man crouching on the floor, a scratch of blood dripping down his face. Thankfully April had just found him, and was beginning to lead him to safety. He saw no more, as his eyes turned red in rage once again.

He turned to the leader of the Purple Dragons, who now he noticed was scared. His chakra flared up in anger. How dare he hit Mr. Murakami! Fangs began to form, and a toothy smirk formed on his face. Fox whisker marks appeared on his face. Leo didn't care if these markings showed. He didn't care that his brothers noticed his unusual behavior.

The human held out a butcher knife as a way to hopefully defend himself from the oncoming turtle. He struck at Leonardo, again and again, trying to scare him away. This however, was to no avail. The jinchuriki's irises were completely red with hatred, pupils like that of a wild animal. He didn't go into a violent rage. Instead, Leo held out his left hand behind his back and his right one in front of him calmly. The turtle walked towards the leader, his chakra glaring up and becoming more ominous by the second.

As April led Murakami out, she felt a strange feeling in the air. It felt...negative. Terrifying. Full of hatred. She became scared of it. Horrified by it. Her first instinct was to get away from it. Flee. April didn't dare look to where the source of this negative feeling was, but from what she could tell, it was in the restaurant. Nevertheless, she had a job to do, and that was to lead the old man out of the danger zone.

Leo stared into the eyes of the human in front of him, red meeting brown. Feared meeting fearful. The human struck forward with his knife again, and Leo once again dodged it. Only this time, using his right hand he knocked the knife out of his hand, leaving the human defenseless. Then, the jinchuriki struck back.

He jabbed the leader in the stomach, in the shoulder. His strikes were quick, calculated. Lastly, Leo finished it off with a roundhouse kick to the face. The human staggered back, giving the turtle enough time to pin him to the wall with his arm.

The turtle bared his teeth, now all of them had become sharp and pointed, like a fox. He pulled his fist back, ready to deal a blow to the human's face. Claws formed from his fingers, ready to slash if the leader resisted. His chakra began to feed off of the scared and terrified emotions that the human was giving off. He took pleasure in it, pride in it that he was creating fear and…_**(2!) **_

_**(3) **_Something flashed in his mind. His eyes widened, blue breaking through the red.

'_What...what am I doing?' _Leo thought.

In the back of his head, something was telling him that he shouldn't be doing this. It wasn't Kurama. It wasn't Shishigami. He couldn't recognize it.

'_This is wrong. I can't do this.' _He wasn't seeing an evil gang leader in front of him. Leo was seeing a scared human begging for mercy, something that he took advantage of.

The red disappeared from his eyes, now being replaced by blue again. The fox whiskers were gone, and his teeth became normal. Leo suppressed the raging chakra in his system, now fully aware of what he was going to use it for. His grip on the human weakened, letting him slide down to the floor. The claws on his fingers disappeared as well.

Leo gestured his head to the door, hoping that the leader of the Purple Dragons would understand what he was referring to.

"Get out of here," he growled in a low voice. The human didn't need another word, as he made his way towards the door, pushing by the turtle. The jinchuriki noticed that the other two gang members were on the floor, and the leader went over to pick them up.

"Come on," the human said to the other two. "Let's go." The two got to their feet and began to leave the restaurant. Then, the leader turned to the brothers and glared at them, mostly towards Leo.

"This ain't over Greeny!" he yelled. With that, the three hightailed out of there, leaving the four mutants behind.

"'Greeny'? Really?" Donnie commented. "I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that."

Despite this, Leo paid no attention to him. His mind mulled over his most recent thoughts. Why had he let that guy go? Shame began to fill his system. He had gone crazy because of a guy who had hurt Murakami. He almost killed. The thought made his spine shiver.

"You just let him go?!" Raph's voice brought him back to reality.

The red masked turtle was ticked off that he didn't get to beat the humans more, as well as his older brother's actions towards the gang leader. Leo looked at him, trying to hide the shame and regret of letting negative emotions while at the same time feeling the anger of his brother slam into him like a freight train.

"They weren't exactly a threat," Leo answered to the best of his ability.

He mulled over the scene over and over in his mind. The human scared to death. His scary appearance. His desire to...kill. The jinchuriki couldn't imagine what would happen if he had killed the human. "They had enough." There was nothing else he could say about the situation. Leo wanted to move on from it.

"Dude! They were beating up a blind guy!" Raph shouted at him. "There's no 'enough'! Now they'll think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job!"

The words his brother said didn't make him feel much better. He just wanted to go home and let his mind process what had occurred earlier. But then, he felt April and Mr. Murakami come in again.

"Wow! That was great, you guys!" April exclaimed, leading Murakami back inside.

Leo looked at the old man more clearly now, now seeing that he was fine. He was glad, but at the same time he still felt a little upset. He almost killed someone because of him. The jinchuriki knew how important Mr. Murakami was to him, but to go to such lengths like that? It scared him.

"Thanks April," Donnie replied. The purple masked turtle felt pride rise up in his system. "Did you see when I caught that one guy and flipped him over the counter? I bet it looked cool." April grew a little nervous at this, but she still answered him.

"The coolest," April said. There was silence.

"You didn't see it, did you?" Donnie asked.

"No, I did not," she answered.

"My friends, I am indebted to you."

The four turtles and April turned to see Mr. Murakami. There was a sense of tiredness in his voice. The shame and regret that Leonardo had felt earlier began to fade away, now just thankful that he was alright and safe.

"Please, allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge." Leo smiled, knowing that the old man hadn't changed a bit since the incident.

"I think we can allow that," Leo heard Raph off to his side. He nearly rolled his eyes, but he chose not to say anything.

"What is your favorite dish?" Mr. Murakami asked. That was when Leo's hopes almost plummeted, knowing very well what his brothers were going to say.

'_It's going to be…' _

"Pizza!" the three other turtles shouted. The blue masked jinchuriki nearly facepalmed.

'_Of course,' _he thought. '_Oh well. I'll just get some of his specialty ramen that he makes for me.' _Leo looked at a menu over on the wall, seeing the list of different types of ramen. '

"Actually Murakami-san, could I have number 4 from your ramen selection?"

His brothers turned to him, a little bit of interest and shock riddled their face. They were surprised that he actually ordered something off of the menu instead of saying pizza.

"Sure," Mr. Murakami answered, not seeming surprised in any way at the choice the turtle made. With that, he began to make their meals.

The three turtles and April took a seat at the counter, while Leonardo looked around at the restaurant.

'_Seriously? They're not going to even help clean up?' _

He just shook his head, knowing well that his brothers probably didn't want to help. They just wanted the food. Sighing to himself, Leo began to pick up the chairs that had been knocked over during the fight. Some were smashed or broken, along with some dishes and glassware. There were some spills as well.

'_Looks like I'll have to grab the cleaning supplies from the back,' _Leo thought to himself.

Once he placed the chairs back in their original positions, the jinchuriki quietly snuck into the back of the shop, knowing where the cleaning supplies were kept. It wasn't a huge area, as most of the items for the shop were kept here, as well as a stairway that led to the old man's home. The turtle opened up the storage closet, grabbing out a mop and dust pan to clean up the scraps and glass.

He stealthily came out of the backroom, and thankfully no one had noticed him doing so. His brothers and April were too invested at the display that Murakami was performing in front of them. Leo began to sweep the floor, just as he had always done for the past few years. Unfortunately, he stepped on a small piece of glass, and it took every fiber in his being to not scream out in pain.

Oh if only he was in his human form now! At least he'd be wearing shoes!

"Murakami-san, that was awesome!" He heard Donnie exclaim.

"You're like a ninja, but for food!" Mikey answered.

From this point, Leo knew that they were too interested in the way Murakami was making their food. So he continued to sweep the floor, wincing every time his left foot hit the ground from the piece of glass that cut it. He resisted the urge to say that his foot was injured, for he knew that he would be scolded for trying to clean up himself.

**"Leonardo?" **Kurama's voice broke through his thoughts. **"You are not fine, are you?" **

'_No…' _he trailed off. '_I...I almost lost it tonight. I almost...killed someone.' _

His body shuddered at the thought. While then man he fought today wasn't innocent by any means, but he didn't deserve to be killed. He wanted to teleport far away and cry out his thoughts. Leo just wanted to be away from his family.

**"Why didn't you?" **the fox asked curiously. **"If I was in your position, I would've killed that human regardless of his mercy begging." **Leo paused his sweeping for a moment, thinking about it.

'_I don't know,' _he answered honestly. '_Somewhere in the back of my mind, I just remembered something. A cycle of hatred, something that keeps going on and on with more vengeance, more anger.'_

'_I just couldn't do it. It was wrong. And I realized at the last minute what I was doing was wrong. What could've happened if I killed him? Would I be feared by my family? Would the other Purple Dragons come and hunt me down for revenge? I guess at that moment I wanted to break it. Maybe it wasn't the best choice, but it was better than killing him.' _

His answer came truthfully from his heart. This always surprised Kurama. How one could answer so full of truth was beyond him. But the fact that the turtle knew of the cycle of hatred surprised him even more. How could someone like him know of it? Kurama knew that Leonardo's never spoke about it, other than the fact that vengeance was bad. Yet just the name "cycle of hatred" coming out of the young boy's thoughts shocked him. The kitsune would have to talk to Shishigami about it.

Leo continued to sweep and clean up the floor, unaware that Mr. Murakami knew that he was cleaning up. The sound of the broom swishing across the floor caught his attention. He knew that one of the people who saved him wouldn't know where the cleaning supplies were. Only he and Minato knew. So how would he…? The pieces began to fit together. Mr. Murakami would have to ask him later.

Finally, the old man finished cooking the food. "Pizza Gyoza!" he said, now holding the food out to them on wooden sushi plates.

He placed it in front of the three turtles, then placed a bowl of soup in front of April. Leo had just finished cleaning, and put all the supplies away, somewhat limping back to one of the chairs since his foot was cut.

'_Kurama? Could you…?' _

**"Yes, I will," **the fox replied. Red-colored chakra surrounded his foot, healing it instantly.

'_Arigato, Kurama,' _he said to him.

"Pizza Gyoza?" April asked.

She had never heard of anything like it before, and she highly doubted it would taste good to begin with. The other three turtles took out their chopsticks, poking at the small potstickers, and finally trying them out. Their eyes widened, and they immediately began shoving the small potstickers into their mouths.

"Wow," Raph said.

"Delish!" Mikey cried out in happiness.

"It's like a one-way ticket to Flavorville!" Donnie admitted.

"This is really good too, you know," April commented, showing her soup to them.

Nevertheless, the three turtle brothers continued to dive into their food. Leo watched them with mild interest, wondering how long it would take his brothers to ever lose interest in pizza.

"Ramen," he heard Mr. Murakami announce.

Leo looked towards the old man, now seeing a delicious plate of ramen in front of him. His eyes lit up in delight, taking the bowl from him.

"Arigato, Murakami-san," Leo said to him. He placed the bowl in front of him. When his brothers weren't looking, he placed his hand over the bowl and transformed it into chakra, letting it flow into his system and giving it to Kurama.

"I am sure you will like it," Murakami said to him. "I have an apprentice here, and that is his favorite dish. You remind me a lot of him."

Leo was stunned. He didn't imagine the old man to pick up on his behavior that easily. Of course, he knew by this point that Mr. Murakami had his way of finding out things. It wasn't like Leo had to mask his entire personality this time around, otherwise his brothers would notice.

"I do?" Leo just had to ask why.

"Yes," the man answered. "He is young, just like you. His name is Minato. Both of you are well mannered and polite. He has helped me over the past few years I've known him. And I am very thankful for him."

Leo nearly blushed in embarrassment. He wasn't used to getting this amount of praise, even though no one knew it was directed at him.

The turtle dug into his meal, the familiar blend of spices and herbs hitting his tongue.

'_Mmm, good as always,' _he thought.

**"I second that," **he heard Kurama answer, who was also munching on the ramen. Donnie and Raph seemed to watch their brother in fascination.

"I didn't know Leo liked ramen," The red masked turtle whispered.

"We never had ramen, so how would he know he would like it?" Donnie couldn't help but whisper back.

The bowl was clean after a few minutes, as Leo drank the broth and finished it up. He then decided to change the subject.

"Murakami-san, do the Purple Dragons come around here often?" Unfortunately for him, the old man nodded his head.

"Hai," he answered. "They demand protecting money, but I refuse to pay. They will surely return."

And just as he expected, Raph rose to his feet, ready to scold his brother.

"Well, they wouldn't if somebody hadn't chickened out," Raph stated, glaring at Leonardo.

The blue masked turtle stood up, walking away from the others. He couldn't take it anymore. His emotions were too mixed. Leo wanted to leave and let it all out.

"I'm heading back," he answered calmly. "I just have a headache." The turtle then turned to Mr. Murakami.

"Arigato, Murakami-san," Leo said, and then went out the door. His brothers watched him leave, shocked expressions on their faces.

"Is he alright?" April asked.

"Eh, he'll be fine," Donnie assured her. "Sometimes he just needs time to himself."

She nodded, though she couldn't help but stare at the door and wonder if he would be returning or not. _**(3!)**_

* * *

_**(4) **_He cried that evening.

Leo felt as if his soul poured out of him as he cried in front of Kurama and Shishigami. The jinchuriki hated showing weakness, but he knew that it was only the fox and the deer god. They would most certainly understand.

Leo was now in his human form, recounting the night's events. Of how he and his brothers went out with April. Of how the fight with the Purple Dragons occurred. Of how he...Leo broke down at that point. He was scared of himself. At what had almost happened earlier that night. The human never thought something like that could happen.

Shishigami was pained by this. Unfortunately, he knew that something like this would happen eventually. The deer god went up to the poor boy, whose tailed beast stood by him faithfully. Kurama's ears were lowered, his head down in pity and sorrow for Leo. His red eyes met Shishigami's brown eyes, silently begging to help him out on this one. The deer nodded, and he placed his hand on the shoulder of the jinchuriki.

"I am partially to blame for this," he began. Leo looked up at him, blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"When we began your training, the chakra you possess as well as Kurama's own chakra has started to leak out from your body. This means that it has influenced your emotions and decisions more and more over time."

"Your body was never meant to experience this type of energy, meaning the tailed beast chakra has more influence over your emotions than an average one. For this, I blame myself, because I never realized this sooner and should've began your training by showing you how to suppress these chakra infused emotions."

"However, I am very impressed by your actions, Leonardo." Leo was confused by this.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You suppressed these emotions during your fight today. You showed mercy, a sign that very few shinobi show. You have great potential Leonardo." The boy was stunned by this.

"I…" he trailed off. Leo didn't have any words.

"Do not worry," the deer answered. "I will train you to better suppress your chakra. This will come in handy for stealth missions in the future, as well as using chakra in advantage for said stealth missions." He backed away from Leo, letting the jinchuriki collect himself.

"Thank...you, Shishigami," Leo answered back.

"I also suggest to you to move your belongings that are in your room to here," the deer god suggested. "If one of your family walks into your room while you are not home and see what is inside there, they will begin to question where you had gotten them will be fine here. The Spirit Plane protects this area from harm."

"Finally, tonight we will learn how to suppress your chakra, so this may take a while." For the next few hours, Leo was in a meditative state, learning how to better control the raging chakra that existed inside of his very soul. At times, it became painful, as memories from the past would come back to haunt him. Little by little, it was becoming better and better.

"We will do this at the beginning of training," Shishigami told him.

"This is just to better your control. Work on it during meditation with your father as well. He will not notice unless it becomes blatantly obvious. Now, that is enough for today. I know you have been through much pressure today, and I will not force more upon you. Tomorrow, you will begin to bring your things here, just so your family doesn't get suspicious."

Leo bowed to the deer god in respect. "Hai, Sensei!" he answered.

It felt weird for him to say those words to someone other than Master Splinter. However, this was respect for Shishigami. The human knew of the deer god's status, and chose to respect it.

"Good, you are dismissed then," Shishigami said.

A puff of smoke appeared, engulfing Leonardo and Kurama, and the two were gone. Leo returned to his room, now a turtle once more, exhausted and beaten from the training. However, before he could fall asleep, he decided to check up on his family. Leo opened the door, half expecting his brothers to be around the TV watching something. Instead they weren't there.

"Guys?" he asked. There was no answer. He grew nervous, then ran to their rooms.

'_I can't sense them,' _he thought. '_Please don't tell me they went out while I was…!' _

His thoughts were answered when he opened the doors to their rooms. First Mikey's room. He was gone. Donnie's room was empty, and there was no sign of him in his lab. And lastly, Raph was gone too, and the only thing left in his room was Spike.

"Leonardo?" he heard Master Splinter behind him.

"Sensei," he said to him. "Do you know where the guys are?" he asked. Unfortunately for him, the rat shook his head.

"No, I do not," Splinter answered.

"Oh no," Leo whispered, as he ran towards the kitchen. The rat master followed him.

There was no sign of them in the kitchen. There was no doubt in his mind that they had left without him, and he knew where they would've gone.

"Damnit!" he softly cursed, his fist slamming into the table. Leo suddenly felt a presence nearby. It was most definitely them. He ran out of the kitchen, just as his Sensei was about to follow him in. The turtle made his way towards the turnstiles, hearing the sound of feet coming towards him.

He saw his brothers covered in bruises and scratches, and in some places actually bleeding. He rushed to them, helping them come in the lair. Mikey was over Raph's shoulder and Donnie was using his Bo staff like a walking stick.

"What happened?" he asked, a little bit of anger filling his voice. "Where did you guys go?!"

"My sons," Leo heard Splinter behind him. "What has happened?"

They led the three turtles towards the center of the lair, helping them sit down on the couch and addressing their wounds. The blue masked turtle went into Donnie's lab and grabbed some bandages, starting to put them on Mikey first.

"Raphael?" Splinter asked him, his voice stern and serious. There was no point in hiding it now.

"Sensei, we…" Just then, April came running through the turnstiles.

"Guys, Mr. Murakami's gone!" _**(4!)**_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 6! Yee! Let's get into some stuff!**

**Sorry it took me so long to write this. Claws of Fallen Stars started up and I've had an interest in that story a bit more than this one. But I'll keep going at it!**

**Honestly I wanted to write more into this chapter, but it would just go on forever. So it's sort of going to be in two parts? Give or take. I'll leave it up as a surprise as what is going to happen next. And I really want to put in more training sections for Leo.**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going!**

**Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	8. Ch 7 The Unexpected Truth

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 7! Yee! But before we get into it…**

**sonavelkovskaa5842: Aww thank you so much! Sorry I had to translate this, but again, thank you for you support for this story!**

**Nikxsy: I really wanted to make a story like this for a long time. Thank you so much! Yes, I am a huge fan of our cynical kyuubi. He needs more screen time XD **

**Here's the music!**

_**(1) Stalemate- Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(2) Critical State- Naruto Shippuden OST 2**_

_**(3) Companions- Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(4) Evening- Naruto OST 1 **_

**Now, let's continue on!**

**I do not own TMNT and I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 7**

**The Unexpected Truth**

He didn't take any time to ask questions or respond at all to April's sudden outburst. All Leonardo did was run. Not even caring that he left his brothers and Sensei behind in the dust. They couldn't even catch up to him to begin with. It was impossible. But the fact that he ran away to begin with certainly had them asking questions.

The turtle ran as fast as he could through the sewers. His mind was a blur. To begin with, he didn't even know what occurred with his brothers, or even where Mr. Murakami was at the moment. But he didn't need to know. He just _knew. _Raph's behavior earlier showed that. "_Dude, they were beating up a blind guy!" _Leo heard his voice in his head. It must've happened.

The guys had gone out to get revenge on the Purple Dragons. Without _him. _And even if he had known about it and they went ahead and did it anyway, it would've been against his orders. Because this would've happened as a result. Going against the Purple Dragons is a sign of revenge, and knowing the street gang they would take up any advantage to get back at them.

**"Leonardo," **he heard Kurama's voice in the back of his head. But his mind was such a whirl that the turtle ignored him.

**"Leonardo…" **The fox's patience was getting pulled thin. Yet again, he didn't answer.

**"LEONARDO!" **

"Ahhhh!"

The reaction was immediate. So much so that Leo ended up tripping and falling to the stone ground.

"Hmmm…" he groaned.

**"Baka! Do you even realize what you've done?" **Kurama stated.

Leo sat up, beginning to collect his scattered thoughts. Then, his eyes widened. He slammed his fist against the ground, which unfortunately for him, made a crack in the ground.

"Damnit!" Leo cursed. His voice echoed throughout the sewers. It was clear he finally realized, since he usually didn't speak like this.

Now he knows that his family is most likely out looking for him, wondering why he suddenly ran off.

'_What am I going to do now?' _Leo thought to himself. '_They're probably searching for me.' _

**"You might as well continue on," **the fox said. **"If you go back now, there will be more questions." **

Leo knew Kurama was right. If he went back now, his family would find him and ask him questions as to why he ran off. How could he run off when he didn't even know where Murakami was? Even worse, why would he run off to save someone who he "supposedly" just met? It didn't make sense, unless Leo had known the old man for a while, which was true.

'_You're right,' _he thought. '_Even now, they could be holding him hostage. I can't wait for them. When I come back, then they can ask me questions if they want to.' _

With no other option, the turtle got up from his position on the ground, and ran once more. He rounded a corner and spotted a ladder that led up to the surface. Leo took a hold of it, climbing up towards the surface.

_**(1) **_The turtle pushed up the manhole cover, climbing out of the sewers then placed it back on top. Leo calmed down, then placed his hand on the ground. This in turn, allowed him to feel the life force of many, many people living in New York. But he was only there to find one person, and he hoped Mr. Murakami wasn't in too much danger. It was then at that moment that Leo was able to find out where he was. And it certainly wasn't good.

Murakami didn't seem all too worried, yet at the same time he could imagine the old man having some sense of fear.

'_Found him!' _Leo said to himself. '_A few miles away but I can make it!' _

He got up from the ground and pushed himself forward, climbing up the nearest fire escape and continuing his run to find the old man.

It didn't take him long to find his destination; The roof of the Fortune Cookie Factory, which hadn't been in operation for years. It wasn't hard to guess who was responsible for the kidnapping, since the location itself was in the middle of ChinaTown, the area the Purple Dragons were in control of. What made it even more convenient for the kidnappers was that it wasn't too far from Murakami's Noodle Shop, meaning they didn't have to drag him too far.

Leo stopped his pursuit on the roof of the building next to the factory. He hid himself, trying to come up with some sort of plan. His eyes then saw the culprits.

'_You've gotta be kidding me…' _ he inwardly complained. '_Not only is the place crawling with Purple Dragons…' _The turtle turned his head, noticing two familiar men on the other side of the building.

'_...but Bradford and Xever are here as well. The Foot are teaming up with the Purple Dragons?'_

**"There's another thing you should worry about," **Kurama stated. **"Look." **

In response, Leo looked over to the side. His eyes widened in fear. There he was, Mr. Murakami, tied up by a rope, and suspended over the side of the Fortune Cookie Factory. Anger rose from within his entire being. His eyes taking on a slight reddish tint, filled with hatred.

'_Those...ARGH!' _

Kurama could sense the level of anger with the turtle. These humans, they had no sense of honor. And that was what fueled his rage the most. The fox knew humans could be low, but it was rare that he saw humans go this low. Through Leonardo's eyes, Kurama could see the turtle's fist clench.

The fox knew better than anyone how low humans could be. Being alive for 1,000 years had its perks. Humans had no trust for him. More than anything, Kurama knew the amount of hate that the humans harbored towards him. Here was no different, only it was aimed at Leonardo. It was almost as bad as it was in his own dimension. Could humans ever change?

**"Well, what are you going to do about it?" **he asked Leonardo, hoping to divert the anger away from the turtle.

It was at times like these that Kurama, while he would never admit, felt pity. And it was for his jinchuriki. The kitsune's chakra was just full of so much negative energy that it just influenced the turtle too much. That was the downside of being a tailed beast.

Not only that, Leonardo's body was never designed to hold chakra either. This meant that while in a normal shinobi, chakra would never leak out, but in the case of Leo, chakra would be leaking out almost constantly. Which meant it went into his emotions. Anger was the most common side effect from the tailed beast chakra. It always is the case, and always will ever be with any jinchuriki. There wasn't much he could do.

Kurama nearly chuckled. _**'****_Heh_. Me feeling pity? What am I then?' **_

There was no doubt in his mind that he had gained a soft spot for Leonardo over the years. From the first time they met, all the way up until now. The giant kitsune actually liked his jinchuriki for once! Oh wouldn't the other tailed beasts love to hear that!

Fortunately for him, Leonardo was snapped out of this anger trance by his statement. His eyes were blue once more, and the hatred left his system. He kept his breathing slow and steady, calming himself down.

'_Sorry,' _was all Leo could muster.

**"Heh. Happens to the best of us," **Kurama stated, referring to his past anger issues.

'_Ok,' _Leonardo began. '_Stealth isn't going to work that well, since Foot ninjas are surrounding the place. I could use a frontal assault, but they might expect that. Oh, what the heck am I saying? Of course they're expecting me to begin with! Agh! What do I do?'_

"We know you're here, turtles!" Leo looked over and saw Xever standing over the beam where Murakami was tied up.

To the turtle's horror, he saw him pull out a knife.

'_No, he wouldn't…!' _Xever knelt down and pointed the knife at the rope.

"Come on out, or the old man dies!" Immediately, he began to cut the rope.

Leo couldn't watch anymore, and was soon leaping across from the roof he was currently occupying to the roof of the Fortune Cookie Factory. He landed swiftly on the roof in front of them,not even fazed a bit. Looking up, Leo saw the smirk on Xever's face at the sight of the turtle in front of him.

"So, you finally show yourself turtle," Xever remarked. He glanced around, not seeing the other three turtles.

"Hmm, where's the rest of your little friends?" The question wasn't asked in a curious way, but in a more sinister approach. Leo said nothing, not wanting to bring up how much the thought his brothers angered him. _**(1!)**_

"Shame. It looks like I can only fillet one turtle tonight." Xever twirled his knife in his hand.

_**(2) **_"Attack!"

Soon after that was said, a barrage of Foot ninjas came surging towards the turtle. Leo clenched his swords tighter, ready to go forward. Then, he made his move.

The Foot swarmed around him, yet this did not faze the turtle. He cranked up his use of chakra regarding sensory, knowing that it would be useful since there would be ninjas attacking him from behind. Leo blocked an incoming sword from one of the Foot soldiers in front of him, pushing back. He kicked underneath the ninja in front of him and sent them flying off the building.

A second later, he sensed more incoming projectiles. Leo smirked, now wanting to try something.

'_Would that thing that Shishigami taught me work?' _the turtle asked himself.

**"Heh. Try it. If not, well a few cuts won't hurt now would it?" **Kurama's voice rang in his mind.

'_Thanks for the vote of confidence.' _

Needless to say, Leo was going to try out what he learned. As the kunais came flying at him, he focused his chakra into his right leg. The turtle jumped up, closing his eyes and focusing. He couldn't use hand seals now, as it would take too much time, and he didn't even have the finger count to do one of them. Leo opened his eyes, determined.

'_Wind Style! Divine Mountain Wind!'_* he shouted in his mind.

He kicked forward while in the air. As the kunais flew towards the turtle, Xever held a victorious smirk on his face. However, this soon turned to a shocked expression, as a gust of wind appeared in the wake of the kick. The kunais were sent flying back towards Xever, his eyes widened in shock at the feat. They came in fast, and the human narrowly dodged them, nearly getting killed.

Leo smirked in victory, the opposing Foot ninja staring at him, not knowing what to do. The turtle was a little tired after using the jutsu without hand seals, but he was happy nonetheless.

'_Yes!' _he thought.

But he couldn't let himself get distracted for too long, so Leo lunged forward, blades firm as he headed towards the unsuspecting Foot ninjas. The turtle elbowed the first one, knocking them down. A kick to the second. He dodged the third, blocking another attack with his katana, then proceeded to kick two more ninjas out of the way. His adrenaline increased, as he could feel his blood exhilarating faster. He felt unstoppable.

More Foot came towards him, and among them was the Leader of the Purple Dragons. He carried a butcher knife with him, watching the ninja fight the mutant turtle in front of him. He hesitated for a moment, looking back at the knife, debating on whether to attack or not. After watching Leo fight off more, the Leader of the Purple Dragons lunges forward, ready to collide his butcher knife with the turtle.

However, just as he thought he had the upper hand when it came to surprising the turtle, Leo was already one step ahead, swinging his sword around and having it collide with the butcher knife. This in turn pushed the Purple Dragon Leader to the ground. He grew fearful as he realized that a katana was being pointed to him. But to the gang leader's surprise, the turtle focused his attention away from him, and towards some more Foot soldiers instead.

**"Good job on not going berserk on him," **the fox commented. Leo nearly scoffed.

'_I'm...a little...heh...busy right now!' _the turtle answered, noticing that he was becoming tired. Kurama could sense it too, as the breath from the teen was becoming hard and ragged.

**"Baka. You should've used hand seals to do it. Or at least make an attempt at the hand seals." **

'_I can't,' _Leo retorted. '_Three fingers. Turtle. Remember?' _Even if he couldn't see him, the turtle just knew the kitsune was shaking his head. '_Besides, do you really want me to give away how I did that to begin with?' _

**"Even so, your chakra levels have gone down because you didn't use the hand seals," **Kurama reminded him. "**You could've done at least one of those. You need more practice with Shishigami." **A slight snap was heard, and Leonardo looked over to see the rope breaking a little bit more.

'_Dang it. I need to hurry it up!' _

As he was distracted, he didn't notice an oncoming kick from Bradford, which sent him tumbling to the ground. Leo grunted, frustrated that he could distracted. His eyes widened, and he moved swiftly out of the way, just before Bradford could stomp on him. The turtle's reflexes were becoming a little bit slower now. The usage of that much chakra without a hand seal tired him greatly.

Leo glared at the human, now colliding and avoiding a few kicks from him. Then, more Foot ninja came in from above, and Bradford stepped out, letting the turtle take them on himself. The jinchuriki's exhausting was piling up, so much so that he didn't notice Xever come up behind him and kick him away towards Bradford. Said human landed a punch, and together they sent Leo spiraling to the other edge of the building, flinging his swords away from him, and he landed just underneath a water tower.

Foot ninja gathered around the area to watch the turtle struggle to get up from the ground. Leo was in pain, but he looked up to see Xever chuckling at him.

"See Bradford?" he said. "That is how you catch a turtle. "And next…" Xever twirled his knife in his hand. "I'll show you how to fillet one." But this remark seemed to spark anger in Bradford.

"You'd never had caught him without me and you know it!" he retorted back. Xever only sneered at this.

"Oh yes, what would we have done without your brave leadership from the sidelines!"

They seemed to have begun to fight against each other. Leo could watch them at the moment, as he tried to plan some way of escape. At the same time, he heard the rope snap a little more.

'_How am I going to get out of here?' _Leo thought. '_My chakra's low, and I don't want to use more than I want to. I've already shown too much. I can't show any more.' _He tried getting up, only to stumble back onto the ground. '_Ugh! Dang it!' _

**"Let me take over," **Kurama told him. It was a dire situation at this point, and the fox still had power in him to take on the enemies.

'_No! You…!' _But before he could say anything else to the fox, one of his katanas flew right in front of him, sticking out of the ground.

'_What the…' _Leo looked up in the direction of where it came from, and to his surprise, he saw the Leader of the Purple Dragons, crossing his arms, yet still looking at him.

'_Well, it looks like my act of mercy paid off!' _He smirked, giving the gang leader a nod. The turtle picked up his sword, feeling his confidence return. Leo eyed the waterfall, and suddenly had an idea.

**"I approve," **Kurama replied.

'_Hehe, I knew you would.' _

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Xever began to say. He held out his knife, smirking. "It's time to cut this turtle into little pieces."

But just before they could do anything, Leo held out his katana in front of them.

"I don't think so!" the turtle stated, now standing up. Then, he jumped up towards the water tower, slashing through the foundation.

The water tower broke apart, water spewing out from it. Leo got out of the way just in time for the wave to splash upon the two humans and the remaining Foot soldiers, sending them over the side of the building. Unfortunately, the water also escalated the breaking of the rope that held up Mr. Murakami. The turtle heard this, and rushed over to the edge.

SNAP! The old man fell towards the ground, yelling. Leo, in a last stitch effort, grabbed ahold of the rope, using all of his strength and chakra to haul him up. Thankfully, he managed to bring him up, and as soon as he got Mr. Murakami onto the roof, he collapsed, exhausted. _**(2!) **_

"Minato-san?" At that moment, Leo's eyes widened.

'_Oh gods…' _he thought. '_He knows...oh he knows…' _In the back of his mind, Kurama's fur stood on end.

**"**_**Ooohhh Shishigami is not going to like this…"**_

* * *

The rest of the evening was spent explaining _everything. _And when Leonardo meant everything, he literally meant _everything. _His entire life, as well as his family, and not to mention Kurama. All the while, Mr. Murakami listened, while making food for the turtle's family. There was nothing much he could do to comfort the turtle. There was so much bottled up that all he could do was listen. It wasn't much, but he was sure that Leo took comfort in it.

The noodle shop was closed for the night. Even so, Leo took the extra precaution of using his human form. If some humans walked by, for instance, he didn't want them to see a giant mutant turtle in the window. Besides, Mr. Murakami knew him best in that form.

At some points, Leo felt he was about to cry. He didn't like showing emotion like that, yet this was different. Leo hated lying to the old man for the past three years, and this was all coming out. The truth that he had been hiding for so long. Part of it felt good to get out of his system, but it still hurt to tell the truth, especially after all the time that went by.

But this wasn't his family, Leonardo had to remind himself about that. This was Mr. Murakami, the kind old man who took him in and gave him a job for the past three years. It was different if he had told his family. At least from here he could've been fired. Yet to his surprise, the old man listened to his tale, nodding while he prepared the meal.

"So that's everything," Leo finished. His head was low, trying to hold in the emotions his mind was currently harboring.

"I…" The now human could not say much else.

Both stood in silence for a moment. Even Kurama didn't interrupt, waiting for the conversation to continue. And finally…

"I have heard that there have been tales of a kitsune possessing someone…" Murakami spoke.

Leo lifted his head. Did that mean…?

"Sometimes, a kitsune would take over a person's body, and kill them," he continued. "Other times, the person is made a servant and turns into a fox. It is very rare for one to befriend their host. And it seems, you have done so as well...uh…"

"Oh! Leonardo's fine!" Leo stated, smiling sheepishly.

This might be a little hard from now on. The old man couldn't see to begin with, so it would be hard to tell whether or not it was a good time to call him by Minato or by Leonardo. Regaining his composure, Leo looked up.

"But Murakami-san, I have one question. How were you able to tell that the Minato you knew and I were the same person?"

_**(3) **_"Your heart," the old man answered simply, as he was working on the pizza gyoza at this moment. By this point, Leo's mouth was wide open in shock.

"Ehhhh?!" was all he said. Mr. Murakami only chuckled at this. "I don't really understand," Leo spoke. "I had a different voice, different textured skin, everything! How did you know?!"

"It's not everyday someone was able to go behind the shop and able to find the storage closet for instance," the old man replied.

The young boy's eyes widened. Somehow he had heard Leonardo go behind the shop after the whole mess with the Purple Dragons the first time around!

"So I found the storage closet yeah," Leo remarked. "Yet that still can't be the only reason right?" The old man nodded to his question.

"It is not the only answer. When I said your heart, I truly meant what I said."

"Many legends say that no two souls are alike. No matter how closely you can see them, there is always a difference between the two. When you came in here with you brothers, you acted like you always do whenever you are here; You cleaned up the mess, asked questions, and you ordered your favorite item off of the menu, with politeness."

While he couldn't see the face of the blonde at the moment, Mr. Murakami knew he was blushing furiously in embarrassment.

"That noticeable...huh?" Leo groaned uncomfortably.

"Hai, you were never a good liar to begin with," the old man could only chuckle.

"That's what Sensei says all the time…" the boy sighed sheepishly.

"Even with the similar actions, was that how you determined who I was?" Leo asked.

"You have a way of thinking that is unique to you," the old man replied. "How else were you able to find me? Not many know me personally, yet you came without your brothers. That was when I truly knew that it was you."

Leo kept silent. Mr. Murakami just finished preparing the ramen, and brought it over to the boy. He stared into it, picking at the noodles with his chopsticks.

"So, what does that mean now?" Leo asked him. "Am I allowed to come back here and work?" The old man glanced over towards the sound of his voice.

"Why of course you are able to come here and work," Mr. Murakami answered. "You have been such a great help to me. You are always welcome here." This made Leo's spirit lift up. He looked at the old man, eyes beaming.

"A...Arigato, Murakami-san!" the boy said. Immediately afterwards, he started to eat the bowl of ramen.

**"Oi! Oi! Save some for me baka!" **Kurama called from the back of Leo's mind. **"Oi! You're forgetting someone!" **The boy's eyes widened.

'_Oh...sorry hehe,' _he said.

At this point, half of the ramen was gone, as Leo was very exhausted from the fight from earlier. He still continued to eat, hoping to replenish his energy.

The giant fox tapped his claw against the stone floor of the cavern. **"Well, are you going to save some?" **he asked.

'_Listen, I need to replenish my chakra somehow!' _Leo complained.

**"Rest is an option. Better than food." **

'_Are you trying to get me to give you some ramen?' _

**"You usually give me some!" **

'_Well not now, in case you've forgotten, I fought a battle today alright! I need this!' _

**"Well so do I, oh great Hokage." **

'_Hey!' _Leo felt something pulling him in, and in a second, he was in his mindscape.

"Huh? Oi! What was that for?!" the boy complained. Suddenly, Leo felt drowsy, his eyes were hard to keep open. In a second, he fell to the stone floor, asleep.

**"I am getting food from you whether you like it or not!" **

The giant fox loomed over him, his hands pressed against each other and his posture in a meditative state. He focused, and soon he found himself opening his eyes again. But this time, it wasn't in the familiar cave. It was the noodle shop. Kurama saw the old man preparing the food for Leonardo's family off to the side. The eyes of the blonde human were now red. Fox whiskers formed on his face, and his teeth became sharp and pointy.

"You must be Kurama, am I wrong?" Mr. Murakami said.

Kurama looked at the old man in surprise. How exactly did he know that he was here to begin with instead of Leo. And not only that, the old man didn't even have the slightest sign of fear on his body or in his emotions! To this, the fox smirked.

**"Heh. Someone decided to not share their ramen with me," **was all he replied. He paused for a moment. "**Baka." **

The old man in front of him chuckled. "Leonardo seems to enjoy your company," Mr. Murakami said.

**"Ah. He can be a hassle at times, but the brat seems to know what he's doing. Well, most of the time."**

"And you take good care of him as well?" the old man asked. The Pizza Gyoza was nearly done, so he grabbed a take out container to put them in.

**"I wouldn't say all the time. I'm here just to slap him whenever he decides to go off the deep end." **The fox-human pick up some of the ramen and ate it.

**"You are certainly one of the more interesting humans I've met," **Kurama commented. Mr. Murakami didn't say anything, but the fox took it as a sign to continue.

**"Many have treated me with hatred over the years I've been alive. Yet you show quite a good amount of interest in me without anger. Could you...elaborate?"**

"Leonardo speaks so highly of you," Mr. Murakami replied. "He said he thought of you as a guardian to him in some ways. But also, a friend."

Kurama thought about this for a moment. There was no doubt that Leonardo appreciated and, to some extent, loved him like a member of the family. To hear these words was no surprise, yet they made the fox feel good for once. There was someone out there who was speaking of him in a good way instead of the monstrous beast he is known to represent. Sure, it was his own jinchuriki, but even still, the feeling was there nonetheless.

**"He has had...a hard life, so to speak," **the kitsune admitted. **"He cannot tell of my existence to anyone, even his family. Lest he will either be hunted down and killed just to get to me, or prejudice will set in upon him from those he loves." **

There was silence in the room. The kitsune felt guilt, not being able to do much to help Leonardo in the years that the two have officially known each other.

**"I do not usually say this, but you are one of the few humans I have grown fond of," **Kurama continued. The Pizza Gyoza were finished by this point, and Mr. Murakami was putting them in a box.

**"There are some things in his life that, despite my immense power, I cannot lift. Leonardo needed someone to talk to, other than his family and," **The fox-human sighed, feeling his pride wear thin yet again. "**Myself." **

Again, there was silence. But Kurama spoke up once more. **"I...suppose you have...ugh what do you humans call it? Gratitude?" **He looked down at the almost empty bowl in front of him.

_**"****Heh. Me...giving out gratitude. I'm growing soft towards humans aren't I? Next thing I know, they'll be performing tribal dances around me." **_

**"If it were up to me, I would've left this city a long time ago, and probably killed a few humans in my wake. But I'm stuck with this brat for who knows however long he is going to live. I'm not complaining that much. He has earned my trust, as yours. However…" **

Kurama stood up, leaning over the counter, getting close to the old man.

**"If you intend to or actually harm him in any way, know that you'll be the first on my dinner plate, **_**human**_."

He sat back down, finishing the rest of the food in his bowl.

"Hai, I understand," Mr. Murakami said firmly. The old man handed the box of food meant for Leonardo's family to him. "I would never in my life do such a thing. He has been like a light to me. In a way, a son. Leonardo is free to come and go as he pleases."

**"Good," **Kurama replied. "**I shall return to the depths of his mind. I had an interesting talk with you, human." **

Kurama grinned, flashing a toothy smile at the old man, even though he was blind. He closed his eyes, waiting for Leonardo to take over. Thankfully he got the message, and when the boy opened his eyes, they were now blue. Leo looked around warily, making sure he was in the right place. Not only that, but he felt tired, since a certain fox decided to put him to sleep. Lastly, he glanced down, noticing the empty bowl in front of him.

"He ate the rest of it, didn't he?"

To this, Mr. Murakami laughed. _**(3!)**_

* * *

Leo ran home after he talked a little more with Mr. Murakami. He was grateful for the fact that the old man had made his family a meal. Hopefully it would keep their minds off of him once he got home.

There was also the topic of that as well. What will happen once he returned home? Most likely getting grounded by Sensei and solo Randori. And he wasn't exactly thrilled to see his brothers either. Much less not being too enthusiastic about them telling him the tale of the stunt they pulled against the Purple Dragons.

Now in his turtle form and carrying the leftover food, he raced around the corner, spotting the familiar turnstiles of the lair. Leo slowed down for a moment, staring off into the distance.

'_Well, here goes nothing…' _

He walked towards the turnstiles, breathing in and out slowly. Leo was trying to keep calm, but on the inside he was very nervous. Then, he stepped into the light.

"Guys?" he called. "Sensei? April? I'm back!" But there was no one there. "Hello?" Leo called again.

Still, there was no answer. He leaped over the turnstiles and walked into the lair further. The turtle looked around, even tried to sense if there was anyone around. Yet despite this, there was no one.

'_Where is everyone?' _he wondered.

Leo ran into the dojo, hoping to at least see someone. Again, no one was there. The entire lair was empty.

'_Did they go searching for me?' _

**"Most likely," **Kurama replied. **"You've been gone for over an hour, and haven't said anything since then." **

Leo sat down underneath the tree in the dojo, putting one leg over the other and crossing his arms over his head in a relaxed position.

'_Guess I'll have to wait here until they get back.' _Leo thought.

But to take long for anyone to return, as minutes later, he heard the sound of footsteps entering the lair. Leo stayed where he was under the tree and let the owner of said footsteps come to him. There were two of them, and Leo had a feeling about who they were.

"Leo!" "Leonardo!" The voices of Raphael and Master Splinter filled his ears as they ran into the dojo.

The red masked turtle ran in front of his brother, relief and anger written on his face.

"Where have you been?! You scared the heck out of us!" Leo opened his eyes, and looked up at his brother. He tried his best to hide his nervousness, but it was leaking out. The turtle sighed.

_**(4) **_He didn't tell them everything that transpired that night, like the bulk of the conversation between him and Mr. Murakami. Everyone else came along eventually. Donnie, Mikey, even April. At first, they were angry at him for running off on his own, and Leo had no doubt that they probably questioned him in the back of their minds about why he would run off to rescue some man they only met once. Of course, they wouldn't admit it to him, and he was thankful for that. But after Leo told them that the old man was safe and sound, all of them felt relieved. Yet there were still questions.

"So wait a sec," Donnie began. "How exactly did he know that we were turtles?"

It was one thing Leo decided to add in there. The conversation between him and the old man led to a different answer, because of who he was. Leo couldn't say that answer. So he decided that this was the best way to approach it.

"He said he had other senses as well," Leo began. "Touch. Smell…"

The blue masked turtle turned towards Mikey, referring to the fact that the orange masked turtle barely took a shower. In response, he blushed in embarrassment. The others just rolled their eyes at the youngest. Then, they turned back to Leo.

"And he doesn't think we're weird or scary?" Raph commented. Leo just shook his head.

"He said we saved his life. He doesn't have anything to complain about. And he said he would keep our existence a secret." The three turtles breathed a sigh of relief, knowing their existence would be kept safe.

Master Splinter came up from behind Leonardo and placed a hand on his shoulder. Leo almost flinched at the touch, but relaxed.

"You showed your strength today," he said to the oldest turtle. But he did not understand what the rat master meant by this.

"Yeah, but I almost got beaten, Sensei," Leo commented.

"Your strength was mercy," he answered his son. "That is why the Purple Dragon helped you."

A realization came over the eldest, and he smirked, glancing over at Raph. He could actually get back at the red masked turtle for criticizing him earlier.

**"Ohhh, are you going to do what I think you will do?" **Kurama sneered happily.

"Well?" Leo began, nearly getting in Raph's face. "Say it."

He had the most devilish smirk on his face that it was almost as if Kurama had taken over his body again.

"Okay okay," Raph groaned in defeat. "You were right." In response, Leo grinned and put a hand on Raph's shoulder.

"**WAHHHHHH!" **In the back of the turtle's mind, the nine-tailed fox began to cry fake tears. "**He has learned so much from me! Taking up his revenge and defeating his brother. It makes me proud!" **Leo nearly laughed, but the grin was still there.

"Ahh, see?" Leo began. "That wasn't so-" But Raph retaliated back before he could finish.

"Your wimpiness might not be totally useless." The red masked turtle grinned. This made the blue turtle scowl.

'_Dang it, should've known that he would have some retaliation.' _Before he could attack, he felt an ominous feeling. And he knew it very well.

"However…" Splinter began.

In an instant, he whacked the point of his jade cane at Leonardo, causing him to fall over.

"Ack!" he cried out in pain as he hit the floor. The three brothers and April watched what was about to happen next, and Raph, Donnie, and Mikey knew very well what would happen. Splinter was mad.

"I am disappointed in you, Leonardo," the rat master continued. "You went off on your own, without your brothers. Not only that, you also faced enemies without any of us knowing." Leo groaned in agony, knowing the punishment awaiting him. "You deliberately ran away again!" Splinter continued.

"You're grounded for a week!"

He expected this to come eventually. There was no surprise that his Sensei would suspect that he would try to run away again. Yet he came back didn't he? Nevertheless, this punishment was coming. His brothers, as well as April, stared at him in shock. Leo pushed himself up, and brushed himself off.

"Wait, again?" April asked. Donnie looked at her, albeit a bit nervous about the touchy subject.

"We'll tell you later," he reassured April. Then Leo stood up and walked away. As he did, Master Splinter turned to the three other turtles, distracting their eyes away from their brother.

Leo opened the door to his room, but not before hearing that his brothers received a harsher punishment of being grounded for two weeks. Shutting the door behind him, the turtle flopped onto his bed. He sighed, exhaustion taking over him.

'_Ugghh, well that was an eventful day,' _Leo thought.

**"Shishigami wants to see you tonight." **

'_SERIOUSLY?!'_

* * *

Leo wasn't going to complain. No, he definitely going to complain. Leo was too tired to do it.

Yet he felt like giving the deer god a piece of his mind when he was so gosh darn tired. Leo just wanted to fall asleep and forget about the troubles that occurred throughout the day.

So when he was summoned by Shishigami, he was drained. And the deer god knew this. The jinchuriki had arrived in his human form, dressed in his usual white hoodie and blue pants. But his face revealed his condition. He most definitely needed a nap. And probably at least twelve hours of sleep.

"What...do you need...now?" Leo breathed hands were on his knees, and he was hunched over. Next to him was Kurama, who could appear outside the jinchuriki's body because they were inside Talbot Peak.

**"Oi! Oi! Shishigami!" **the giant fox complained. **"Can't you see the brat's exhausted enough?" **

The humanoid deer floated about them in the air, watching them intensely. "I already know," the deer replied.

Both fox and human looked at him in confusion. "**W**h**a**t?" they both replied simultaneously.

"That is why I decided to bring you here. It is not very rigorous training. It is more meditative."

"H**u**h?" they both wondered.

"I'm going to teach you...**Shadow Clone Jutsu." **_**(4!)**_

* * *

**Jutsu Corner**

_**Wind Style- Divine Mountain Wind: **_This technique creates a vortex of wind to blast at the target **(There really isn't much information on it, other than it was used in Naruto Shippuden: The Movie. I thought it would be fitting, since Shishigami is considered "divine" and would be able to teach Leo this. Also it isn't specifically told how it is used, so it doesn't mean the user has to blow wind form their mouth.) **

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 7! Yee! **

**First, I'm sorry this took so long. I've divided my time between this chapter and Claws of Fallen Stars' chapter 4. But I'll get things out quicker from now on. This chapter was a little hard to write.**

**I didn't have the episode to begin with, so I had to buy it, as well as a few of the next episodes for the next chapters. But I based the rest of this chapter, as well as the previous one, off of Never Say Xever. With differences of course. But I like how this turned out.**

**I'll have a series of one shots regarding this story coming soon. They'll explain some of the things that this story doesn't have in them. Like how Leo met Mr. Murakami, and his jutsu lessons. This is just to keep the main story going, as there will be many, many chapters coming in the future. Since I want to go through season 4 and beyond.**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you appreciate this story.**

**Anyways, until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia **


	9. Ch 8 War of Demons

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's here with Chapter 8! Sorry this took a while. I've been busy trying to update my other story as much as possible. However, I'm here to continue with the next chapter! Thank you to all those who favorited and followed this story! Let's get into it.**

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Mission- Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(2) Afternoon of Konoha- Naruto OST 2**_

_**(3) Anun (Dark Clouds) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(4) Turn Over- Naruto OST 1**_

_**(5) Yogensha (Prophet) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2**_

_**(6) Despair- Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT. **

**Chapter 8 **

**War of Demons**

Ever since the incident with Murakami about a week ago, Leo began to train hard while he was "grounded." With the help of Shishigami, his ability to control his chakra became stronger as time passed.

Despite this, he still hadn't mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It would definitely take more time to get the hang of it. Having his chakra control was a good thing, but it was different when performing a more complicated jutsu like this than just the standard Transformation Jutsu.

Leo practiced as much as he could. Making clones out of chakra was hard to control. Sometimes he would put too little chakra into it, which resulted in a half dead clone. On the other hand, if the jinchuriki put too much chakra into it, the clone would just explode. He would of course, get frustrated at this, but then try again.

The recent stress placed upon him didn't help him either. Combine the daily training from Shishigami, as well as the extra training and surveillance from Splinter, his mind was constantly on the run when it came to dealing with multitasking.

Extra chores and training were placed onto his shoulders constantly. It wasn't easy with all of this happening in a week. Cooking the meals, cleaning the lair, more solo training with his Sensei, it was adding up and thus leaving him tired during the day.

His brothers couldn't help him, no matter how much they pleaded. Well, Raph didn't plea at all. It was more so the fact that Mikey didn't like Leo doing the cooking all the time and sometimes Donnie didn't want his older brother cleaning his lab. Yet Leo couldn't do anything about it, lest he'd have to answer to Splinter again.

Speaking of the rat master, it was clear to his brothers that their Sensei was especially hard on their older brother. It was easy to understand why. Having your son once again run away from you was something the ninja master never wanted to experience once more. With this, he at least could hopefully learn his lesson when it came to doing anything like that.

Yet Leo would still continue to sneak out at night while everyone was sleeping. The deer god could bring him to Talbot Peak via Reverse Summoning Jutsu. This in turn would allow Leo to get away undetected. There was no issue in being discovered with this method.

As the week went on, Leo felt himself getting stronger, both physically and mentally. Despite the workload, the stress, his family, the jinchuriki felt as if he improved significantly. Leo believed in himself more.

But that would be put to the test...today.

"**Your strikes suck," **Kurama spoke up in the back of his mind. The giant kitsune was clearly bored with the situation both he and the turtle were in.

'_They...wouldn't be so...bad if you just...left me alone!' _Leo thought angrily.

Currently, the blue masked turtle was in the middle of a spar with his younger brother, Raphael. It wasn't one out of anger for once. It was just merely practice. Yet every time Leonardo kicked or punched, he either missed or it got blocked. Was it because he was tired? Or was it because of stress? No, it was merely because the nine tailed fox was just in the mood for annoying him.

Another kick with his right leg, and Raph dodged. A punch with his right hand, and it was blocked. The turtle was becoming more and more frustrated as it went on. Left hand, blocked. Right hand, blocked. And then it seemed like both turtles sensed the other's determination to win.

'_Feel his next movements,' _the blue masked turtle told himself.

Raph then took the offensive, a barrage of fists coming at Leo. And with each attempted strike, the jinchuriki blocked them with ease. Yet Raph wouldn't let the pressure up, and the punches became more wild and unpredictable. Each time, Leo blocked them. It would seem that the spar would become a bigger fight soon. Until…

_**(1) **_"Check it out guys," a voice drove their attention away. It was Donnie. And for once, Leo was glad that his brother interrupted.

'_Thank god, I thought this was going to go on longer. Or even worse, it could've become a fight between Raph and I,' _Leo felt relieved.

Both turtles turned their head in the direction of their younger brother, who came in from the entrance to the dojo. He was carrying something. When Leo saw what it was, he became confused. Kurama, on the other hand, had a feeling on what the genius turtle had created.

'_Are those...eggs?' _Leo pondered.

"**Ohhh I might have an idea regarding what those are," **Kurama commented. "**And if I'm correct, then I will start calling your brother a genius." **

'_Why the sudden decision? I thought you weren't that fond of them?'_

"**You'll see…" **

'_I don't like the sound of that.' _

"We are about to take our Ninjitsu to a whole new level," Donnie explained. Leo did like to hear that.

If Donnie had created something (that apparently used eggs?) to thus further help their style of fighting, it was certainly a good thing. Yet, often when the genius turtle invented something, it would backfire. Of course, this time it had something to do with eggs, so it wouldn't backfire too much, would it?

"Cool," Leo answered.

It was then that the jinchuriki noticed that Raph was left wide open, currently occupied by the interest he had obtained when Donnie first started talking. His brother's head was turned in the direction of the purple masked turtle, no longer paying attention to Leo. He smirked, confidence now returning.

With a swift kick of the leg, Leo managed to sweep Raph off of his feet, causing him to fall to the ground. The red masked turtle groaned in agony, eyes closed. Donnie looked at him with concern for any pain he could possibly help relieve, but soon ignored Raph. Victory riddled Leo's face.

'_Haha, yes! That's what you get for not paying attention!' _he thought.

"Last night, I figured out how to make…" Donnie continued, now holding up one of the eggs. "Ninja smoke bombs!" He ended in excitement.

'_He made smoke bombs...with eggs?!' _Leo was certainly impressed by this. The fact that Donnie learned how to make something so advanced with just an egg surprised him.

"**Your brother is now officially a genius," **Kurama stated.

It was then that the purple masked turtle threw one of the eggs at the floor. Once it hit the ground, the egg exploded. There was a bright flash, then purple smoked bellowed out. And as quickly as the smoke appeared, it disappeared. As well as Donnie.

A second later, another flash was seen, catching the attention of both Raph and Leo. The two turtles turned around, once again seeing the purple smoke, and it then disappeared. Revealing a smiling Donnie.

"Whoa…" Leo and Raph echoed, looking at each other and then back to Donnie.

"Now to make 'em, I carefully…" he began. It was then that Leo inwardly sighed.

'_Here we go again…' _Leo thought. He found himself tuning out of Donnie's explanation. '_Through the good thing about this is that I don't have use the Body Flicker Technique* as much. Not that I really ever used it in a fight before.'_

"**You still could," **the kitsune began. "**Throw the egg, then use the Body Flicker Technique to escape faster. The smoke from your escape will combine with the Smoke Bomb, thus masking the white smoke." **

'_That's true,' _the turtle thought. "_If I could combine the two, not only will no one see me do it, but I'll have a much faster escape route and be able to travel a farther distance!'_

"Blah, blah, science, blah! Do it again!" Raph exclaimed, then proceeded to push Leo off to the side.

'_HEY!' _the blue masked turtle mentally shouted.

"What I'm trying to tell you guys is that they take a long time to make," Donnie continued. "So use them sparingly."

Leo nodded. This was something that his brother made that was actually useful and didn't explode (unless thrown on purpose) so he would use them carefully. These new smoke bombs would definitely be used in the future. Having one to use to get away from an enemy would be crucial.

"I'm making breakfast!" he heard Mikey shout from the kitchen. "Who wants omelettes?" It was then the jinchuriki realized something.

'_Oh no…' _Leo inwardly groaned. '_Please don't tell me Don was stupid enough to leave them in the fridge?' _

"Omelettes?" Donnie wondered, looking at one of the smoke bombs in his hand. "Mikey, DON'T!"

The eldest turtle sighed. '_3, 2, 1…' _

As on cue, purple smoke appeared, and when it finally dissipated, it revealed Michaelangelo, who was coughing. However, unlike the previous attempts Donnie had made with the smoke bombs, Mikey's face was covered in purple powder.

"Ugh, I think that was a rotten egg," Mikey commented, clearly somewhat suffering from the smell of the smoke. He was holding more of the smoke bombs.

Leo could help but chuckle at the sight, nearly bursting out into laughter. He even almost lost his balance, so he leaned onto Raph, smiling and chuckling at the sight. Yet his younger brother was slightly annoyed by this.

"**I'm no longer calling your brother a genius," **Kurama stated. But even the fox could help but laugh at how the youngest turtle was suffering.

"Those aren't eggs, Mikey," Donnie told him. "They're Ninja Smoke Bombs." Immediately after he said this, Mikey's eyes widened in excitement and in realization.

"Shut up," was all he said, and proceeded to throw a smoke bomb at the floor, disappearing.

'_Ah...so much for Don's warning about not using them too much…' _Leo inwardly sighed. The weird smell of the smoke was starting to irritate his senses.

"This…" Mikey began, appearing in the tree, then disappeared. "Is the best day…" he reappeared next to the tree, then disappeared again. "OF MY LIFE!" he exclaimed, now farther from the tree, and disappeared.

"Mikey, stop!" Donnie shouted, not wanting him to use any more of the smoke bombs after it took him hours to make them.

But the orange masked turtle only thought about it for a moment, then dropped another smoke bomb and disappeared again. Donnie groaned in disappointment.

"**I swear if he uses that again…" **Kurama groaned, his sense of smell being overloaded. "**I will personally kill him!" **

'_Uhh, great to know…' _Leo replied nervously.

"I love you man!" Mikey reappeared behind Donnie, putting his three fingered hands on his shoulders. Unfortunately for the purple masked turtle, Mikey kissed him on the cheek, which caused him to be severely annoyed.

"Seriously!" Mikey smiled. Donnie could only scowl at him. Leo on the other hand, rolled his eyes.

'_Time to go get some fresh air,' _he thought, desperately wanting to flush out his respiratory system from the smell of the smoke.

"**Agreed. Do so before I faint." **

"Guys!" Unfortunately for both of them, the sound of a frantic April was heard coming into the lair. Leo immediately became concerned.

'_Something's wrong,' _he noted. The turtle began to sense her emotions. '_She's terrified for some reason. Did something happen?' _All four turtles came out of the dojo to meet her, just as April was sitting down on the couch.

"Guys, you'll never believe what happened to me," she breathed. April hugged her shoulders. Clearly distressed.

"Alright April," Donnie ended up coming over to her, checking her over. "Are you okay?" He checked her arms, seeing no injury whatsoever.

"I am being hunted…" she began. "By a GIANT PIGEON!" April grabbed Donnie after she said that. There was a moment of silence, then…

"Ha ha ha ha!" Raph laughed, leaning over and clutching his plasteron while he pointed at April. Leo and Mikey turned and glared at him. The red masked turtle stopped laughing.

"I can't be the only one who finds that funny," he commented.

"**He has a terrible sense of humor," **the kitsune deadpanned. Leo questioned this.

'_And you don't?' _he asked.

"**Oh please, at least my humor isn't hard to find. Unlike yours which is like finding the One Piece." **Sweat nearly dropped from the jinchuriki's head.

"It's not funny, Raph," Donnie retaliated. He stood up with her. "There's a creature out trying to hurt my April."

This in response, led to her looking at the purple masked turtle with a questioning look. Donnie immediately made up for what he said.

"Our April…" he said. "April…" Donnie gestured to her, smiling sheepishly.

"This is serious," Mikey stated, which confused Leo, until he realized his brother was holding up another smoke bomb. "I'd better get Splinter."

'_The last thing I need now is for him to use another smoke bomb,' _he inwardly groaned.

"We don't really need-" Leo began but by that point, Mikey threw a smoke bomb, causing more purple smoke to appear. The blue masked turtle began to cough as he inhaled some of it. However, in Mikey's place was Master Splinter.

"Michalengelo said you wanted to see me?" he asked.

Soon afterward, the girl told of her experience with the giant bird.

"His talons were razor sharp," April explained, raising her hands into the air. "He would've torn me into pieces. If he hadn't slammed into the glass."

"Ha ha ha ha hah!" Raph once again laughed, reading his comic book. In response, they all glared at him. "Really? Just me? Ack!"

Splinter hit the back of his head with the end of his jade cane.

"Raphael!" he scolded his son. "Clearly April is upset."

"Yeah dude, that's so insensitive," Mikey told Raph. He turned his attention to April. "Do you need a tissue?"

"I think I'm okay," she answered.

"I'll get you a tissue," Mikey answered, holding up yet another smoke bomb.

'_Oh for the love of-' _

The youngest turtle once again used the smoke bomb, disappearing again, leaving a surprised April. And as soon as he disappeared, another plume of purple smoke appeared, and so did Mikey, on the other side of April. Leo coughed again, the smoke irritating him.

"We don't have any tissues," he said. "Can I make you some soup?"

He held up another smoke bomb, but before he could use it, Donnie stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Stop it!" Donnie scolded him. It was then Leo spoke up.

"Please Donnie. Can you at least change the powder so it's scent-free?" he asked.

"Can do Leo," the purple masked turtle said. He then turned to April. "Don't worry April. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Donnie's right," the jinchuriki spoke, standing up. "We're gonna set a trap for this, "pigeon-man" and make sure he doesn't bother you again."

"**We are?" **Kurama groaned.

'_Yes, otherwise whatever this giant pigeon is could seriously harm her. It's most likely a mutant from her description. If it isn't dealt with, then who knows what could happen. It might come after us in the future. Or worse…' _

"**Like it could harm your **_**girlfriend?" **_Kurama rolled his tongue at the last word. Leo blushed hard at that, and desperately tried to hide it.

'_She's not my girlfriend!'_

"Well, I know what we can use as bait," Donnie said.

"Bread crumbs!" Mikey spoke up. There was silence, as Donnie and Leo looked at him questioningly.

"Pigeons eat bread crumbs," Mikey explained.

"I meant April," Donnie answered.

Seconds later, the orange masked turtle stood protectively over the red-haired teen. "You're gonna let him eat April?!" he exclaimed. "I thought you liked her!"

"Yeah!" April said, ignoring the fact that Mikey referenced the fact that Donnie liked her in _that _way.

"Don't sweat it," Donnie reassured them. "We've got your back."

The four brothers looked at each other and nodded, fully prepared to go after this giant bird. They, as well as April, ran towards the turnstiles. But before they could head out, Splinter stopped them.

"Wait!" the rat master shouted. They turned around. "We do not yet know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him."

"It's just a pigeon Sensei," Mikey answered. "We can handle it."

A feeling of uneasiness overcame Leonardo after he heard that from Mikey. The turtle didn't like where the conversation was heading. What his younger brother had said made them sound as if they were very overconfident. And the jinchuriki knew that he didn't like being called overconfident.

"What you know is dangerous to your enemy. What you think you know is dangerous to you," Splinter told them. "I fear that you are all becoming overconfident."

There it was. Leo gritted his teeth in agitation as he slightly turned away from Splinter so that he wouldn't see his frustration. He wanted to say something. Anything along the lines of how much extra training he had gotten from both his Sensei and Shishigami. Yet Leo knew that he couldn't say it, lest his secret come out.

But the fact that he had been grouped in with his brothers irked him greatly. Leo knew that his brothers became overconfident during the past few weeks, as a result of their past missions and how immediately afterward they were grounded by Splinter. The jinchuriki however, wasn't part of a few of them, so being grouped in with them made him angry.

"With all due respect Sensei, we've taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien creatures, and an army of ninjas." Donnie said, and both he and Mikey did a high three.

"Yeah boy!" Mikey said in excitement.

"Maybe we're not that overconfident Sensei," Raph stated. "Maybe we're just that good."

The three turtles then went off, as well as April, into the sewers. Leo groaned, having yet another bad feeling about the situation. He clenched his fist. Soon after, he ran after them as well. Leaving Splinter behind.

'_I'm really hoping something bad doesn't happen…' _

Yet Leo forgot how bad his luck was. _**(1!)**_

* * *

_**(2) **An hour later, night time…_

"Here I am, walking around in the big city," April spoke semi-suspiciously. At the moment, she was walking through an abandoned alleyway.

"All alone! Oh, I sure hope no crazy pigeon-man sneaks up on me! That would be the last thing I'd want!"

While it seemed like she was currently alone, in reality there were four mutant turtles watching her every move from the shadows. One of them wasn't exactly happy with the way April was currently acting as bait. Another one...well, he didn't seem to be real in the first place.

"What are you doing?" Donnie asked, who appeared behind April from behind a dumpster.

"You wanted me to be bait, I'm being bait!" April whispered, clearly upset.

"That's not how bait talks!" Donnie commented.

"How do you know how bait talks?" she asked, annoyed.

"I know that bait doesn't talk back," Donnie told her.

"**Oooooo he got her there," **Kurama chuckled.

"Oooooooo," both Mikey and Raph came out of their hiding spots.

"Oh no, you didn't," Mikey taunted, and both turtles returned to their hiding spots. Donnie returned to his as well. Then, Leo came out from inside a dumpster.

"Just try to act natural," he whispered. "Add in some sarcasm."

She nodded, and he disappeared back into the dumpster. When she turned around and walked away from it, a tiny bit of white smoke was seen emanating from it, but it was barely noticeable. "Leo" had disappeared.

Unbeknownst to the three other turtles, and to April herself, there was a small creature on top of a fire escape. A gray cat. It would've looked totally unsuspicious, if not for the fact that it had bright cobalt eyes.

"**Your use of Shadow Clone Jutsu is becoming better," **Kurama commented to the cat. Leo smiled, fangs flashing.

'_I have to keep practicing,' _he said to the fox. '_Otherwise my control over Shadow clones won't be great. I don't think I'll use it that often. Because if the clone disappears when I'm not around, I'll be in deep trouble.' _He looked over at where April was.

"Here I am, acting natural," April said sarcastically. "Just, totally defenseless against any, I don't know, hideous mutant pigeon-guy who might happen upon me."

There was silence for a moment. That is, until Leo sensed something in the distance. He turned his cat head, and was met with disgust.

'_Oh gods, what is that?!' _

It appeared to be some sort of pigeon man, well sort of. It has the head of a pigeon, its lower body was like a human, and it apparently wore...jeans? Even its legs were lanky, and had talons at the end. And worse, some of its veins were showing, revealing mutagen that flowed through them.

"**I wouldn't eat that **_**thing **_**even if I had the chance," **Kurama spat in disgust.

To their surprise, the mutant bird flew into the air and proceeded to descend upon April, talons out.

"Ahhhhh!" she screamed. The teen was about to be grabbed, until it was electrically shocked. Donnie had managed to shock it. The bird mutant fell to the ground, groaning. It was then that Leo released the henge he was under, turning back into a mutant turtle without anyone noticing.

"Now!" he shouted.

Leo leaped off of the fire escape onto the mutant bird, Mikey and Raph following suit. They managed to pin him down.

"Ugh," Raph said in disgust. And to their surprise, the mutant pigeon began to speak.

"Ok! Ok!" he said, hitting his hand on the ground. "Uncle! Jeez Louise!" Donnie and April stood over him.

"And you said I wasn't good bait," she boasted. It was then that Leo got up.

"Start talking, pigeon-man," the jinchuriki stated.

"**Pigeon-man? Really?" **Kurama deadpanned. "**You could've just not said that." **Leo inwardly groaned.

'_What else was I supposed to say?!' _

"I have a name!" the mutant pigeon said.

"Yeah well, we just don't care what it is," Raph sarcastically stated.

"It's Pete!" the mutant pigeon, Pete, answered.

'_I expected it to be more...extravagant? I guess.' _Leo thought.

"Why were you trying to hurt April, _Pete?' _the blue masked turtle asked.

"I didn't wanna hurt her!" Pete exclaimed. "I was just bringing her a message! From her father!"

They all looked at him in surprise. A message from April's father? He had been missing for over a month by this point. And there was no lead onto where he currently was. Now, this pigeon, who apparently was named Pete, had a message from him?

"Let him up!" April said frantically, wanting to see the message. Mikey and Raph did so. Pete got up to face her.

"We were both guests of the Kraang," the pigeon mutant began. "They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this!"

"Oh, that must've been horrible," April felt sympathy for him. "Being turned into a pigeon."

"Actually I started out as a pigeon."

"Told you the bread crumbs would've worked," Mikey interrupted. This however, caught the attention of Pete, as he grabbed a hold of the orange masked turtle.

"You've got bread crumbs!?" he asked, full of excitement.

"Umm, my father?" April said impatiently.

"Oh right!" Pete said. _**(2!)**_

He handed her a phone, and the turtles came around to watch. There on the screen, was a video of Mr. O'Neil playing. He seemed very afraid. Leo could almost feel the fear coming from the device itself.

"Something terrible is about to happen," he began. "And I don't know what, but it's extremely important that you get out of the city as soon as soon as you can. Save yourself. Remember...I love you…" The message ended after this.

April hugged the phone in sadness. "I love you too daddy," she whispered.

Leo could feel her sadness tremendously. It almost made him act up as well. It didn't help that he was able to sense negative emotions such as this. The only thing he could do was ask Pete if he knew anything else.

"Do you have any idea what he is talking about?" Leo asked.

"I'm just the messenger," the pigeon mutant replied.

"We've got to get you out of the city," Donnie told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The blue masked turtle was surprised to hear such words from his brother, as he was very protective over April.

"I'm not going anywhere without my dad," she replied.

"But you heard him. Something terrible is gonna happen," Donnie tried to convince her.

"Then we'd better hurry," April told him. There was no convincing her otherwise. It appeared to Leo that the teen was dead set on finding her father. And there was no way about it.

'_She really wants to rescue her father…' _Leo thought.

"**She's determined, for a human…" **Kurama commented. "**Heh, you picked a good girl."**

'_Shut up!'_

"Can you tell us where the Kraang are holding him?" he asked Pete.

"I can," Pete began. "But it's gonna cost you a lot of bread." Leo thought about it for a moment. Did Pete literally mean actual loaves?

"We're talking about...actual bread, right?" the turtle asked.

"Yep! Sourdough!"

"Done!"

* * *

It wasn't too hard to find where Kirby O'Neil was being held. Soon enough, they were on the roof of a very non suspicious looking building that didn't even scream or give any hint that the Kraang were there to begin with. The mutant pigeon left them after that, saying that he was too afraid to continue on with them. Nevertheless, they did end up paying him the sourdough that he asked for.

Once they got there, Donnie began working on opening up a ventilation shift. He was able to get it off with ease.

"Piece of cake!" he said, looking down the ventilation shaft as he pushed the cover aside.

"Let's do this!" April said. But before she could do anything else, Leo stopped her.

"We need you to wait here, April," Leo told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you crazy?" she said, pushing his hand off. "My dad's in there!"

"Along with who knows how many Kraang!" Leo mentioned. "This mission requires stealth, and mobility. Leave it to the pros."

'_I hate to say it, but she wouldn't be able to do much in there,' _the jinchuriki thought. '_April could even get kidnapped again for all we know! It's better if she stays up here while we handle the Kraang.' _

But she scoffed at his response. "I can't just do nothing!" April said.

"You won't be doing nothing," he answered. Behind him, Raph gave him a rope. "We need you to lower this rope when we give you the signal."

April sighed, clearly complaining about not being able to do anything else. But, it was something, so she didn't complain anymore. And Leo was very thankful for that.

They jumped down into the building, and the jinchuriki saw once again the familiar metallic white and pink walls, as well as a bunch of other technology he didn't recognize. He landed with ease, moving out of the way before the Kraang saw him. Unfortunately, Mikey held onto the ledge too long and fell, alerting the alien.

Before it could shoot him, Raph jumped down, stabbing his sai into its metal body, causing it to fall to the floor before it could alert any other Kraang. The red masked turtle looked over at Leo, who currently had his hand to the floor, using his sensing abilities to find Mr. O'Neil.

'_This way,' _he thought, and gestured for his brothers to follow him.

They were about to turn the corner before Leo put his hand out in front of them, signalling to wait. He turned around, putting his finger in front of his mouth, and whispered a 'shh,' telling them to be quiet. The turtle did a somersault before getting behind the alien and slicing it in half. Then he signalled his brothers to follow again.

"**Whatever's in there must be important," **he heard Kurama say.

The fox was referring to a doorway that was approached by two Kraang, both with blasters. Silently, they came up behind them, and when the door opened, which revealed yet another Kraang, Leo knocked the first two out while Raph threw his sai at the third.

'_Didn't I tell him that ninjas never throw their weapons?!' _Leo thought angrily.

But before they could walk in, one of the aliens emerged from the metal bodies, screeching. In response, the blue masked turtle punched it quickly.

The door that just opened revealed what appeared to be some sort of control and information room. Raph and Mikey moved the Kraang out of the way that was inside. Donnie closed the door behind them so that they wouldn't be discovered.

"Donnie," he began. "Hack into the system and see if you can find out about the Kraangs' plot. Raph, you're with me. Mikey, stay with Donnie."

"Why do I always get stuck with Mikey," his brother complained.

'_Oh, I really do not need this right now Donnie!' _Leo thought.

"Hey," Mikey spoke up, which just irritated Leo more.

'_Fine! If I have to be blatantly honest, I will be!' _

"I don't want him!" he said. "And I'm in charge!"

"**I thought you loved your brothers?" **Kurama snickered at the fact that his jinchuriki decided to say something mean about his family.

'_Not now!' _he silently growled at the fox.

"Hey!" Mikey complained, but Leo ignored him.

"Well then have Raph take him!" Donnie said.

"Over my dead body," the red masked turtle said, arms crossed.

'_Oh come on! Not you too!' _Leo thought angrily. '_Why doesn't anyone just listen to me for once!'_

"You know," Mikey began. "I'm starting to think nobody wants to be with me. Fine, I'll just go off on my own."

The jinchuriki had a feeling what his youngest brother was going to do, and covered his nose. Mikey threw a smoke bomb and disappeared. It was then Leo heard the sound of his brother struggling behind a door, which then opened, revealing Mikey had gone into a closet.

"Hehe, that's a closet," he said.

"Have fun, you two," Raph said, and both he and Leo walked out of the room, leaving Donnie and Mikey to their own devices.

Once they were out, Leo put his hand to the floor, sensing any energy, as well as emotions, that were around him. He figured out that the Kraang didn't exactly have emotions per say, and seemed to be just like robots. However, this made it easier to tell the difference between finding a human and a Kraang.

The jinchuriki then picked up on one emotion that was more prominent. It was one of semi fear, as well as sadness. Realizing it was Mr. O'Neil, the turtle gestured to his brother to follow, running across the hallway until they came upon a cell.

_**(3) **_"Mr. O'Neil?" Leo asked. "Are you in here?" The human got up and went to the viewing window, seeing the blue masked mutant outside.

"You're one of the turtles who rescued my daughter," he said. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," the jinchuriki responded. Reluctantly, he continued on. "She's right outside."

"You mean she's still in the city?" he asked. "That girl is stubborn."

"Yeah, we've noticed," Leo answered, opening up the lock panel. He saw some wires inside and decided to mess with them.

"**If I didn't know any better, she reminds me of my previous jinchuriki," **Kurama spoke up. "**The stubbornness and everything."**

'_You never really talked about her,' _Leo commented. '_Was she that bad of a jinchuriki?' _

"**It's best not to know…" **

'_If she was that bad, then why do you keep bringing up the fact of how much April reminds you of her?' _the turtle asked, still fiddling with the cords inside the lock.

"**Maybe some other time Leonardo," **the giant fox told him.

Unfortunately for Leo, he wasn't satisfied with this. Why wouldn't Kurama tell him anything? He could trust him. Was it something that sensitive? Or was the fox afraid of saying anything?

'_You know you can tell me right?' _the blue masked turtle told him. '_Your trust was placed in me. Do you not trust me enough to tell me?' _

At this, he felt a pang of sadness within his heart. There were points in his life where Leo remembered Kurama wouldn't tell him everything. Of course, this was for his own good, and eventually told him when he was older. But there were times, such as when Kurama discussed something about his life, that Leo wanted to know about. Yet the fox wouldn't tell him.

The tailed beast felt the sadness within his jinchuriki's heart. In an instant, guilt washed over him. He didn't mean to hurt his feelings in this way. But, for Leonardo's safety, he couldn't say a word. Well...Kurama could say something.

"**Her name...was Kus-"**

"Since it's taking Leo forever to pick that lock…" he heard Raph behind him. And just like that, the sadness turned into unharbored anger.

"If you think you can do a better job, then go ahead!" Leo growled lowly, eyes somewhat flashing red. Raph then continued on what he was saying before.

"...then maybe you can tell us what the heck's the deal with the Kraang."

"They're aliens from another dimension," Mr. O'Neil began. "When they came here, they brought the mutagen with them." However this confused Leo.

"Why? What's the point of bringing something that turns people into monsters?" he has to ask. If that were the case, then why bring it into the dimension where Kurama was from?

"The mutagen doesn't work the way they thought it would," the human continued. "Apparently the physical laws of their universe are different than ours."

"**That is true of my dimension," **the kitsune spoke. "**There are some things there that work differently than here."** The realization came to Leo very quickly.

"So they're grabbing scientists to help them modify the ooze!" he answered. Yet they're was one thing that puzzled him.

'_Why did they take April as well? It's not like they need her for anything. She's not a scientist.'_

"Wow, you figured it out," Raph mocked from behind him. "How's that lock coming?" The blue masked turtle chose to ignore the comment.

"So what do they want to ooze to do?" Leo asked.

"I wish I knew," Mr. O'Neil replied. It was then Donnie and Mikey came running from around the corner.

"Leo! Raph! They've planted a mutagen bomb downtown. They're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" Donnie paused for a moment when he saw Mr. O'Neil.

"Oh hi, Mr. O'Neil. Your daughter's really nice." The human could only look at him in confusion.

"Okay, we have to disarm that bomb," Leo said. "If I could just get this stupid door open!" His frustration was beginning to come out.

"Have you tried this?" Mikey asked, pointing to a button on the wall. Unfortunately for the brothers, Mikey pushed it, causing an alarm to go off.

"NO!" all three said. Mikey laughed nervously at what he did.

"That's why no one wants to be with you!" Raph pointed at Mikey.

"Got it!" Leo finally managed to open the door. Mr. O'Neil came out from his cell. "Let's move!" He and Donnie led the human out.

By that time, more Kraang began to follow them, blasters firing. They reached the area where they had entered, hiding behind a bunch of wooden boxes.

"April! Now!" the blue masked turtle called. And the teen heard him, looking down at them.

"Dad!" she called, throwing the rope that she was given earlier down so that they could climb out.

Raph managed to kick a cylinder container at the robots, halting their fire at them for just a moment. One of their blasters went flying and landed in front of Mr. O'Neil. He had another idea than just escaping, and decided to go with it. He got out of Leo's hold.

"Mr. O'Neil, what are you doing!?" Leo called.

He proceeded to pick up the blaster and started firing at the Kraang. "Save my daughter," he told them. "Save the city!"

"Daddy no!" Sadly, April had heard him, and cried out.

"Go! Go!" Leo told his brothers. Donnie followed suit, as well as Mikey and Raph. But before they could climb up the rope, Donnie stopped him.

"We can't just leave him here!" the purple masked turtle said.

"We don't have a choice!" the jinchuriki growled. As much as he didn't want to leave the human behind, there was no other option. Otherwise they could get captured as well. Leo felt sadness overcome his soul, having no clue what to do.

All four of the turtles climbed up, leaving Mr. O'Neil down there with the Kraang. Eventually one of them managed to get a jump on the human, disabling his ability to fight. The robots pointed their guns at him.

"No!" April shouted, as he was led away. She backed away in horror, then proceeded to hug Donnie.

"We'll get him back April, I promise," Donnie reassured her.

"We've gotta go," Leo stated, beginning to run off. "April, head back to the lair. We'll take care of the bomb."

Yet in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think something else.

'_I failed him...we were supposed to rescue him, and yet...I couldn't do anything…' **(3!)**_

* * *

According to the plans that Donnie viewed while he and Mikey were in the control center, the mutagen bomb was on top of the Wolf Hotel building downtown. And boy, did it look easy to find. A giant container that practically took up almost all of the roof was on top, filled with mutagen. Yet no one seemed to notice it for some reason.

"**How stupid can humans in this world be?" **the fox asked, particularly to no one.

'_You'd be surprised,' _was all Leo could answer.

It was then that they decided to take a more stealth based approach before infiltrating the roof. Donnie managed to put together some arrows and attach little gunpowder filled sticks of dynamite in order to aim and fire at the unsuspecting Kraang. Unfortunately there were only three bows, so Leo decided to not use one.

"Kraang, in how many time units known as minutes will the device containing the mutagen that will be spread over the place known as New York, be detonated?" one of the aliens asked.

"Five," the one below the first one answered.

'_Five minutes?! We don't have much time!' _the turtle thought.

As soon as the second Kraang spoke, an arrow was fired into its head, and thus proceeded to explode. Raph fired one at the Kraang above, hitting the target perfectly. Donnie also managed to get some of the robots on the bomb, and Mikey took it a step further and climbed onto it, shooting any Kraang on top.

However, he didn't notice the Kraang above him, who aimed its gun and got ready to fire. Leo was there in an instant, coming from above and slicing the robot in half. That left all of the Kraang disarmed and disabled for the moment. The blue masked turtle jumped down to his brothers.

"Okay Donnie, it's up to you," he said.

The genius opened a panel that contained a bunch of wires, and they got nervous by their complexity. "Uh oh," the purple masked turtle freaked out.

"'Uh oh?' Donnie, you said you knew how to do this!" Leo said angrily.

"I didn't count on a design this complex Leo!" he said, putting down the panel.

"They're aliens from another dimension!" the jinchuriki retaliated. "What did you expect?! A big round ball with a lit fuse that said 'bomb'?"

"**Hehehehe, HAHAHAHAH!" **Kurama got a laugh out of that.

"No, but this-" Donnie began, but then was cut off by Raph, who then decided to push Leonardo to the ground.

"Ugh!" the blue masked turtle groaned, hitting the ground. Suddenly, there was a big pressure coming from the back of his head. A massive headache was beginning to form. The turtle clenched his head in agony.

'_What's happening…' _Leo inwardly moaned. '_It feels like...there's something out there...with strong negative emotions. I don't know...where it's coming from…'_

"**Your senses are overloading from those emotions," **the fox pointed out. "**Focus baka! You have to shove them aside! Focus Leonardo!" **

He shook his head, trying to focus on something else. Then, the painful headache went away. Leo looked around, but saw no one nearby. He stood up, testing his mobility a little.

'_What the heck was that?' _he wondered. '_My senses haven't been overloaded ever since I was ten. But this can't be right. No human has that kind of negative energy. And I'm already used to the large amount of negative energy I can sense. So what-'_

"I CANNOT WORK WITH ALL THIS PRESSURE!" he heard Donnie yell.

It was then that he felt two presences nearby. Leo looked up and his eyes widened. Standing above them on the framework that held the letters on top of the Wolf Building were Bradford and Xever, Shredder's top henchmen.

_**(4) **_"Donnie, you might want to speed it up! We've got company!" Leo yelled, taking out his katanas. Raph and Mikey soon saw the two henchmen, pulled out their weapons, and the three turtles raced off to fight them in order to protect Donnie.

Mikey threw a punch at Xever, but the man just dodged. Then, he lifted Mikey up and threw him to the side. Leo charged at Xever, trying to land a blow. But instead, he had to defend himself as the human tried to kick him in the head.

"You guys picked a really bad time for this!" the blue masked turtle stated. He then pushed Xever away.

"Oh sorry for the inconvenience," the human commented sarcastically. "When would you prefer to breathe your last breath?" He kicked, sending Leo back a little.

"If that thing goes off, it'll wipe us all out!" he growled, anger beginning to course through him.

On the other side, Bradford missed Raph while he swung his sword. "I'd rather perish with honor, than to live in shame!" he stated.

Leo then felt a kick to his stomach, as he noticed that Xever managed to kick both him and Mikey back. He dropped one of his swords, groaning in pain.

'_Kurama, if you don't mind! Quickly!' _

A tiny bit of red chakra that was barely noticeable to anyone's eyes appeared around his plasteron, healing his stomach area from the kick. Leo caught his breath picking up his other sword.

'_Thanks!'_

It was then that he noticed Mikey was cornered by Bradford. Silently, Leo came up from behind, ready to strike. But the human saw this, and pushed him back.

"Down to two wires," Leo heard Donnie murmur. "Which do I cut? Black or green?" his hand was shaking with the wire cutters.

"Go for the green!" Mikey yelled, then proceeded to be punched by Bradford.

"**I swear, if he actually goes for that wire, I will take your body and kill him," **Kurama stated.

The genius turtle contemplated immensely on which one to cut. The timer ticked faster and faster. His hand hovered over the black wire. But then, he changed his mind.

"Eh why not?" he said, and proceeded to cut the green wire.

"**We're dead."**

But to his surprise, the bomb shut down after Donnie had cut the green wire. He opened his eyes, surprised it didn't explode. He smiled in excitement, turning around to tell his brothers the good news.

"Guys! Guys!" Donnie shouted. "Mikey...was right about something!"

'_You were saying?' _Leo smirked.

Yet he was distracted long enough to get kicked in the plasteron, causing him to fall over in front of Mikey. It was then that Donnie joined the fight, landing on Bradford's head on one foot, then proceeded to knock him into a pole. After that, he ran over to help Raph.

This gave both turtles enough momentum to push the human back, with Mikey hitting Bradford with his nunchucks. The orange masked turtle then ducked, leaving room for Leo to come charging in and overwhelm him with his two katana. He was able to push Bradford back more, causing him to walk backwards onto a large cable and up onto the bomb.

One one side, Raph and Donnie were cornering Xever, while on the other Leo and Mikey were cornering Bradford. Then, the two henchmen ran into each other in the middle, surrounded on both sides by turtles.

"You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours," Leo commented, saying it in a "hero" tone. "Lay down your weapons!" He pointed his katana at Bradford.

"**You could just throw them off the building, you know…" **the kitsune mentioned.

'_KURAMA!'_

"**What? It gets rid of them. They are your enemy, are they not?"**

'_Yeah, but it's not honorable to do that!'_

"**Tch! You and your 'honor.' I'd just kill them is what I do…"**

"Never!" Xever said behind Bradford. Said human decided to bring up his sword.

"You don't have a choice," Leo told them. "You've lost."

"If I'm going down…" Bradford began. He then proceeded to look behind him at Xever, then to the tank of mutagen, then to his sword. "I'm taking you with me!"

'_Oh no, he's not-!' _

But Leo knew it was going to happen, so he stepped away quickly. Bradford plunged his sword into the tank of mutagen, causing the glass to break. Immediately, it gushed out onto the two humans, causing them to fall off of the rooftop, covered in mutagen. Whatever didn't hit them went onto the street below.

"**That works too," **the fox stated. But unlike Kurama, Leonardo was filled with fear. _**(4!)**_

'_NO!' _he thought in desperation.

Leo ran to the side of the building, mindful to not let any of the mutagen touch his body. He looked over, careful so that no humans would be able to see him. But the turtle could clearly see a large puddle of mutagen at the bottom of the building.

In response, Leo slammed his fist onto the side of the building, a slight audible *_crack* _was heard. It took a second for him to hear it, and he looked down, seeing that his fist had actually cracked some of the concrete. The turtle pulled his hand away immediately, hoping that his brothers wouldn't notice.

"So within the span of a few hours, we kicked the butts of the Kraang and Shredder's top henchmen, while defusing a bomb, and saving the city," he heard Donnie say.

"Yeah we're not overconfident," Raph commented.

"Dude, we're just that good, yo!" Mikey said.

'_HOW CAN THEY BE CELEBRATING?!' _was all Leo could think. '_We couldn't rescue April's father, Bradford and Xever are going to mutate into who knows what, the mutagen that came out from the bomb flew off the building and onto the ground below us and probably mutated other people, and-'_

The pressure that was on his head earlier suddenly came back, forming another massive headache. Leo stumbled a little. He grabbed his head, eyes closing in pain. The pain was even stronger than before.

'_It's back…' _he thought. '_And it's right above us!' _

Even though his eyes were closed, the turtle pulled out a shuriken and knew where to aim. This surprised his brothers, noticing his withdrawal of one of his weapons. Then, Leo threw it in the direction of the bomb, in which it flew to the top of it. The jinchuriki heard it hit something, most likely metal.

"Your skills are impressive," a deep voice answered.

Leo opened his eyes, now trying to no longer focus on the strong negative emotions. It was then that his eyes widened. For there on top of the disabled bomb was a man clad in armor and dark maroon garments, save for a few areas around his shoulders. On his arms were gauntlets, which appeared to be able to withdraw longer blades at will. But the most noticeable feature was the helmet that he wore on his head, the Kuro Kabuto.

He jumped down in front of the four turtles, blocking their means of escape. "But they will not save you," he finished.

'_Oh god...that can't be him...why is he here!?' _

_**(5) **_The Shredder himself.

Fear coursed through the jinchuriki's veins. This was the source of the pain he had experienced earlier. If one human could emanate that kind of emotions, then he was most certainly dangerous, even by his standards. If he was alone with the Shredder, there was a slight chance that Leo could take him on with his chakra abilities. But here, with his brothers, there was no chance.

"Oh man," Donnie said. It was clear that he was afraid as well. "Do you think that's...the Shredder?"

"Well it's definitely _a _Shredder," Raph answered, who Leo also noticed had fear masked in his response.

The man jumped down from the ledge, walking towards them. "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it."

Leo knew they had no other options other than to escape. He knew his brothers couldn't face the Shredder. At this point, he just had to protect them. And if the only thing they could do was escape, that's what they had to do.

"You're gonna have to catch us first!" Leo sneered. "Mikey." His youngest brother held up a smoke bomb.

"So long suckah!" Mikey boasted.

He then proceeded to throw the smoke bomb at the ground. Only...there was no smoke. Or rather, the only thing that came out of it was an actual egg yoke. Leo looked in horror. His brother had used up all of the smoke bombs! The three turtles turned to the youngest in fear.

"Oops," Mikey stated. "Alright, that one's on me…" he said the last part shakily.

Immediately, the Shredder unleashed his blades from his gauntlets, and charged towards them. Raph went first, dodging the first blow, sais clashing with the human's metal blades. The red masked turtle managed to avoid a kick, and noticed an opening. He jabbed his sai forward, only for it to be blocked. The two glared at each other for a moment, until the Shredder kicked Raph away, and into the "O" of the Wolf Building sign, electrocuting the turtle.

"Raph!" Leo called, very concerned for his brother, who was now on the ground, burnt.

While he was watching his brother fall to the ground, Shredder came towards him. Leo was able to dodge. He took the offensive, trying to hit the human with his katana. But this barely if at all worked, and the turtle soon had to turn to defensive postures, blocking attacks quickly. But he was then hit in the plasteron by a fist, sending him to the ground.

His katanas fell out of his hands to his side, but before Leo could grab them, Shredder kicked his plasteron again, right where the seal for Kurama was underneath his shell. His body was sent sliding across the rooftop, eyes closed and nearly losing consciousness.

"Leo!" he heard Donnie call him. The jinchuriki felt his brother place a hand on his shoulder, but it was gone afterward, as Donnie went to attack Shredder.

'_I'm sorry...Kurama but...do you mind...healing me again…?'_

Red chakra formed around his plasteron, healing the area that was injured in an instant. Leo got up slowly, checking to make sure it was okay. He nodded to himself, silently thanking his tailed beast friend. It was then that he noticed that Shredder was currently distracted by seeing Mikey go over the side of the building.

"**Grab your** **katanas and sneak up on him!" **Kurama mentioned.

The blue masked turtle did just that, quietly running forward and taking up his swords. However before he could land a major blow, Shredder managed to notice him in time, yet from the look in the human's eyes, he was quite surprised that the turtle was able to get up. This led him to hesitate, and Leo managed to get a blow on him. Donnie soon followed after him, managing to stun Shredder for a moment.

He jumped into the air, blades ready to swing downward. But he couldn't strike, as the Shredder caught him in the air and threw him aside. Leo immediately went into defensive mode, blocking attacks left and right. Then he noticed Donnie sneaking up behind Shredder, and proceeded to slam his Bo staff into the human. Yet this didn't work, and Donnie's staff snapped in half.

"Ahh!" the purple masked turtle cried out, as Shredder grabbed him and threw him aside onto Leo.

The jinchuriki took the brunt of the force, his swords flying off to the sides of him. Once they stopped moving, he checked his chest, feeling a bit of pain when he moved.

'_Oh just great,' _he thought. '_If one of my ribs is broken, then we're done for!'_

Yes, Kurama could heal him, but it took a much longer time to heal broken bones than bruises and cuts. At least an hour. Now, they didn't have an hour. Not with the Shredder here. Speaking of which, the armored human stood over them, blades unsheathing from his gauntlet. He was about to strike, however at that moment, Raph came down from above, tackling Shredder and punching as hard as he could. These were to no avail, as he was thrown off.

Before Shredder could strike him, Mikey's Kusarigama chain came down and wrapped around the human's arm. The orange masked turtle jumped from where he was standing, which in turn pulled Shredder up. Once Mikey was low enough, he let go of the chain as it latched onto the metal frame.

"Urraahh!" Shredder cried out, as a popping sound from his arm was heard, possibly dislocated.

But this didn't stop him, as he sliced the chain in half with his gauntlet. Unfortunately that also led to the "W" in the sign being sliced, half of it falling to the ground. Mikey couldn't get out of the way in time, as the sign fell on him. All three turtles turned in horror as they saw their youngest brother disappear underneath it.

'_MIKEY!' _Leo thought desperately.

He, as well as Raph and Donnie, ran over to help their brother. Each of them got on one side, hands getting underneath and pulling upward. With their combined teamwork, they managed to lift it up enough for Mikey to crawl out. Sparks began to fly out of the destroyed sign, landing on Shredder, as well as Leo, who flinched every time a spark hit his body.

They were at a standstill. The blue masked turtle glanced at his brothers, now seeing the full extent of their injuries. All of them had bruises and very noticeable cuts. Mikey having bruises on his arms. Donnie had one on his head. Raph was struggling to stay up, after being electrocuted earlier.

At last the four turtles launched themselves at Shredder…

But the brothers were no match for him. He punched Raph aside. Kicked and punched Donnie. Then punched Mikey. The three of them hit the ground, losing consciousness.

'_NO!' _Leo thought it horror, as he saw the beaten and bloodied bodies of his brothers lying in front of him.

It was only Leonardo left standing in front of Shredder. Unfortunately, the human was much faster, and struck the turtle in the chest. Leo may have blocked some of it with his katana, but the blow still injured him, and thus made him fall onto his knees. He clenched his plasteron in pain, gritting his teeth.

Then, he was grabbed and pinned against the disabled bomb by Shredder. Leo groaned in agony, barely aware of his surroundings anymore. That is, until the human stabbed his blades into the metal, between Leonardo's neck. The turtle flinched in fear.

"Tell me where Splinter is and I promise your demise will be swift," Shredder spoke.

As he did, a hidden third blade emerged from his gauntlet, and came very close to touching his throat. Leo moved his head slightly to avoid the blade. When he did, he saw his brothers, gravely injured and unconscious.

'_My brothers…no...they can't be...' _

Something began to well up inside of him. Sadness. Fear. Horror. But most of all...Hatred. Hatred for the one in front of him who caused this much harm to his family. Hatred for all the pain that Shredder had caused his father in the past. His rage increased tenfold, letting it consume him.

And Leonardo broke.

His eyes widened, pupils becoming red and slitted. Whisker marks formed on his face. Leo's teeth became fangs. The ends of his fingers sprouted claws. And, worst of all, an eerie red chakra bubbled up from the seal on his stomach, covering him entirely. The chakra formed ears over his head, and a small, yet long tail formed.

Kurama knew what was happening, and he tried to stop it immediately.

"**Oi! Oi! Baka! Stop taking my chakra!" **the fox shouted. "**You're going to go out of control at this rate!" **But the turtle didn't hear him. He was too consumed by hatred and rage to pay attention. It was then that the nine-tailed fox was becoming concerned for his jinchuriki. The fox's eyes widened.

"**Leonardo!" **Kurama shouted. No answer. The fox was becoming very worried. This was bad. "**LEONARDO!" **

On the outside, the Shredder looked at the jinchuriki for the first time in such a long time since he felt it, fear. This wasn't no ordinary turtle. No, this was a _demon _in mortal form. He raised his other gauntlet in order to deliver the killing blow. Until, he heard ragged breathing behind him.

Thankfully, Leo heard it too, and the chakra cloak dissipated, as well as his markings. Shredder had dropped him, and he saw a horrific sight in front of him. A giant red fish, covered in mutagen.

"Help...me…!" the thing reached its arm towards them. Leo recognized that voice as Xever. He had mutated into a fish. Then, he noticed behind him was a rather large, mutant dog of the Inu variety. And the turtle had a feeling that was Bradford.

"What is this?!" Shredder asked.

But this was the chance that Leo was going to take to escape. He grabbed his three brothers and began to carry them away, despite his body protesting in pain. Leo had to get them out of here, otherwise they could remain unconscious for a while. Or worse...die.

"Xever? Bradford?" Shredder stated. By then, he turned around, and noticed that Leonardo, as well as his brothers, were gone from sight.

"NOOOOO!" _**(5!)**_

By that time, Leo was already in the sewers, carrying his brothers toward the lair. He knew no one was following him from him sensing the area around him. But that wasn't what concerned him the most.

He remembered. Remembered losing control of himself while his brothers remained unconscious. Shredder had seen his secret. Now, there was someone out there that knew.

Tears began to roll down his face. Leo cried quietly as his younger family members slept on. Because on that night, the turtle knew that he had let himself lose control, and he became a demon as a result.

* * *

_**(6) **_Somehow, he managed to carry his brothers home, where a very anxious April and Master Splinter were waiting. They helped treat their wounds first, as Leo insisted for them to help his brothers first. Once they were done, Master Splinter treated his eldest son.

As expected, the turtle had a broken rib. So he was now lying down on the couch, resting. Leo had a few lesser injuries, but other than the broken rib, there was nothing else serious. He would ask Kurama to help heal it slowly, so that way his family wouldn't notice.

The three younger turtles woke up a half an hour later, as Leo was recounting what had happened that night. From the failed attempt of rescuing Mr. O'Neil to their encounter with the Shredder. Of course, he left out the part of himself nearly going out of control. But the story remained true.

Each turtle looked down. Even April was hugging her knees, saddened by the fact that they couldn't rescue her father. Donnie was looking at her in concern. Farther away, Raph shoved the arcade machine to the side in anger, in which after he sat down in frustration. Leo sighed, as Splinter approached them.

"You were all very lucky," the rat master told them.

"Well, I think we define that word differently, Sensei," Raph stated.

"Few have ever faced the Shredder and survived," Master Splinter answered, explaining why they were lucky.

"He was just so fast," Mikey said.

"It was like he was everywhere at once," Donnie commented. Leo sighed, hating the words he was about to say.

"You were right about us being over confident, Sensei," Leo whispered, careful to not hurt his rib further. "There are just some things we're not ready for…"

Splinter rested his hand on Leonardo's shoulder. "Perhaps," he answered. Leo groaned as he felt his chest move. "Rest my son. Your injuries are graver than your brothers. You may rest now."

The turtle closed his eyes, entering his mindscape. He had to do something first before he could rest. Leo opened his eyes and found himself in front of the bars that held back Kurama. The fox saw him and came up to the bars. That was when he saw Leo kneeling in front of him, hands on the ground. Kurama was shocked.

"I'm sorry…" Leo whispered. Were those tears?

"I'm so, so sorry...I didn't mean to use your power. I didn't mean to take it! I just...I just…" He couldn't say anymore. The tears fell faster.

Suddenly, Kurama wrapped one of his orange tails around Leo. "**It's okay kid," **the fox said. "**Just let it out…" **And Leonardo wailed and cried like a lost child.

"**I'm just glad that you did not lose yourself completely," **Kurama continued. "**But...he now knows something about you. Not quite everything, but he knows something…" **

"But that no longer matters," Splinter was heard on the outside. "It is clear now that the Shredder is a problem that will not go away."

"**The rat is correct. You will have to face him again in the future."**

"So prepare yourselves, my sons," Splinter spoke.

"**Shishigami and I will help you prepare for what's to come next," **the fox said.

"Because as of this moment…"

"**Because starting now…"**

"W**e** a**r**e **a**t **W**a**r**." _**(6!) **_

* * *

**Jutsu Corner**

_**Body Flicker Technique: **_Smoke is used to mask a ninja's movement **(It's not exactly teleportation, even though it's called Teleportation Jutsu, it's just like a smoke bomb. Flying Thunder God Technique is more so teleportation)**

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of chapter 8! Yee!**

**Sorry this took so long. I was working on this but I barely had time. Now that I'm forced to stay home for about three weeks because of the virus, I can now write! XD **

**Ahhh, Leo goes into Version 1 mode! Yes, it's only one tail for now, but he was able to do it! And not only that, but Shredder knows something. He doesn't know exactly what it is, but he knows something about it now! When I first envisioned this chapter, that scene was the first thing I thought of. **

**Speaking of which, this chapter comes from "The Gauntlet" episode, which is one of my favorite episodes. The turtles meet Shredder for the first time, and get defeated miserably. But they come back quickly of course.**

**Also, I've gone back and broken up the paragraphs in previous chapters. This is so that it's easier to read character dialogue. Hope that fixes issues.**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	10. Ch 9 Internal Panic

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 9! Yee! The one year anniversary for this story was a few days ago! I can't believe it! 37 favs, 29 follows, and over 3,700 views and we're still going!**

**Thank you to all of those who favorited, followed, and reviewed! It means a lot to me!**

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Sasuke's Theme - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(2) Sadness and Sorrow - Naruto OST **_

_**(3) Its the training! - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(4) Raikiri (Thunder Break) - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(5) Anun (Dark Clouds) - Naruto Shippuden OST**_

_**(6) Shouryuu (Rising Dragon) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2**_

**Now, let's go!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.**

**Chapter 9**

**Internal Panic**

"No patrol, no games, no rest! There is only training! Starting now!"

_**(1) **_Leo remembered the words his Sensei said to him and his brothers weeks ago clearly. Well, it was somewhat towards him. He was half asleep at the time, as he had been lying in his room since the day before. The day that they were ambushed by Shredder.

Since then, all Leonardo could do was rest, as his rib hadn't fully healed yet. Thankfully the jinchuriki had moved all of his valuable things that would make his family question where he got them to a small cave on the inside of Talbot Peak. This was where the Moon Pool was located, one of the few entrances to the Spirit Plane, and his training grounds with Shishigami.

Unfortunately the only thing the turtle could do was rest. While Kurama and the deer god could heal his broken rib easily, suspicion would no doubt rise among his family as to how and why a broken rib was healed in almost an hour. Nevertheless, Leo had to endure the pain for a long three weeks.

He kept himself busy by practicing chakra control, refining it to a T. Transformation Jutsu was strictly forbidden. While Leo said that the jutsu doesn't exactly involve physical transformation, the fox said otherwise, as the jinchuriki's case was special. The tailed beast chakra, as well as his mutagenic DNA, allowed for a physical transformation, meaning even the bones were reshaped in the process.

Still, Leo tried to keep busy. Otherwise he would go berserk and end up rebreaking his rib. The jinchuriki couldn't let his abilities slip behind while he was incapacitated. He wouldn't allow himself to become weaker because of an injury. But there was always one thing on his mind as he trained himself.

His brothers.

Every day, he could hear the constant orders from his Sensei, and the constant gasps of exhaustion that followed. The rat master was overexerting them to their limits. Not even giving them breaks, just as he said no rest. He barely if at all gave them time to sleep. And this bothered the blue masked turtle greatly. He was resting (to them at least) while they were training.

Now, Leo was on the couch in the middle of the lair, currently watching TV while everyone else was in the dojo. There wasn't much on, but it somewhat helped get rid of the frustration that he was currently feeling towards his father. Even now, the turtle was on the verge of getting up and doing something about it.

"More Sensei?" he heard Mikey's tired voice echo from the dojo.

"Yes, more!" Leo heard the rat master answer.

What was heard next was the sound of Donnie and Mikey running and them getting flipped over by Raph. As well as the groans of pain.

"There is no intention in your strikes!" he heard Splinter yell angrily. "Do it again! We will practice all night if we have to!"

"**May I have the honor of killing the rat so he shuts up?" **Kurama sneered, clearly annoyed.

'_I'm at the point where I just want to throw in a VHS tape of One Piece so I don't go in there and say anything,' _Leo commented.

Even if he were to do that, there was no doubt that Master Splinter would come out and punish the turtle. Let's just say that the rat master forbade his sons from watching anime for _reasons. _

"We have been practicing all night!" he heard Donnie exclaim.

After that came what could only be described as a snore from Mikey. He was murmuring about pizza.

'_He must've fallen asleep from all that training,' _Leo thought.

"Wake him up!" Splinter yelled. This pushed Leonardo's anger even further.

"Gladly," Raph said. Afterward, he heard Mikey being thrown to the ground.

"Ahh! Shredder's here!" the orange masked turtle exclaimed, loud enough for anyone to hear outside the dojo with normal hearing.

"Relax, you were just having a nightmare," Donnie was heard comforting Mikey.

"Aren't we all," Raph groaned.

"Sensei, can we rest for a sec," Donnie asked.

"Rest?" he questioned. "Hmm. The Shredder will not rest, until you are all dead!"

'_Okay that's it! I'm tired of this!' _Leo thought.

The blue masked turtle slowly got up from the couch, and began to walk over to the dojo. He winced slightly, rib still not yet healed. A low growl emanated from his throat, anger rising in his system. In the rare anger spells Leonardo had, if one had to describe the level of this one, then it would've been one of the worst.

"Sensei," the blue masked turtle began as he entered the dojo. "They've been training nonstop for weeks with hardly any sleep. They need a break." Leo came up next to his brothers.

"Oh, like you don't?" Raph stated sarcastically, referring to his broken rib.

"That's right Raph, _I don't,_" he scowled.

If anything, while the turtle was ahead on mental and chakra control, he was behind on physical training. Having to lay in bed for a few weeks certainly didn't help him at all. The turtle's muscles have probably grown weaker, and most likely his strength too. He probably needed training the most.

"I have to train," Leo told him. "I'm behind you guys by a few weeks. The last thing I need is a break."

"Ah, well, then I'll give you a _break!_" Raph sneered. _**(1!)**_

'_He wouldn't dare!'_

"**Move you baka! NOW!" **

Unfortunately it was too late by that time, as Splinter made his move. Swiftly he moved forward, and struck all four turtles. This caused them to fly back and land on the floor.

_**(2) **_But for Leonardo, it was much worse. The jab to his chest caused him even more pain, and as a result he coughed up a little blood. Leo put his hand to his mouth, trying to hold it back.

"If I were the Shredder, none of you would be breathing now," Splinter scolded. "Understand?!"

'_He just...doesn't care?!' _Leo thought bitterly. '_He doesn't even care about what he just did?! That I'm lying here on the ground coughing up blood?!'_

A few tears came to his eyes at the sound of it. Leo couldn't take it anymore. His anger towards his father, his current pain, and the realization overwhelmed him. The blue masked turtle ran out of the dojo and into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he spit out the extra bits of blood he was holding in so more wouldn't get on the carpet.

"Is he okay?" Raph asked.

But Splinter's eyes widened in horror as he saw the few stains of blood that did make it out of the turtle's mouth earlier.

"Perhaps a brief rest is an order," the rat master stated. "We will resume later."

The other three turtles collapsed in exhaustion, thankful that they were finally getting a chance to relax. Splinter however, rushed to where his eldest son was, wanting to check on him. For a moment, the fear of his son in pain took over, and worry plagued his system. He hadn't meant to hit the turtle like that.

Leo came out of the bathroom, clenching his chest and breathing somewhat heavily. As soon as he saw his father in front of him, eyes filled with worry, the turtle gritted his teeth. He didn't want this now. All he wanted to do was lie down.

"Leonardo, are you-" the rat master began.

"I'm _fine,_" he sneered, cutting him off.

He proceeded to his room, and slammed the door behind him, leaving Splinter outside. The turtle lied down on his bed, wincing in pain. Carefully Leo took off his gear, hoping that it wouldn't restrain him as much. Once that was done, he closed his eyes.

'_Just ignore it,' _Leo told himself. '_Ignore the pain and you'll be fine.'_

While the turtle was thinking about that, it appeared that the pain lessened. But it wasn't because of this. Rather, it was something else entirely. The jinchuriki opened his eyes and was met with shock.

There right in front of him was Shishigami, hands over the turtle's shell. A soft glow emanated from his hands and onto Leo's chest area. The deer god was here, and he was healing him.

"Ah!" Leo yelped, slightly moving away from him.

He was a bit startled that the deer god would come all the way out here just to heal him. Of course, anyone would be frightened to see a giant, humanoid deer in their bedroom. Once the turtle realized who it was, he calmed down a little and sighed.

"Do you always have to jump scare me like that?" the turtle complained. He lied back down on the bed. "Why are you healing me? I thought we weren't going to do that?"

"I knew this would happen," Shishigami told him. "Your father would lash out at you in anger that is not harbored at you. And your rib would break once more." The deer god began to heal him again.

"So he rebroke it didn't he?" Leo sighed. The deer god nodded.

"Do not blame him," he continued. "Your father's mind has been clouded by fear. The most recent events have not helped him. The Shredder has caused him grave pain in the past. And he does not want the same to happen to you."

The turtle knew what he was talking about. Having to lose both your wife and your only daughter at the time would most definitely be painful. To have to go through again because of the same man would no doubt be a nightmare. Still, this wasn't the way to go about their training. If anything, the rodent master was treating them as if he were Shredder, but Leo would never say such things.

"Rest for now," Shishigami stated. "I will heal your injury fully. And I know something will happen later, so you will need your full strength."

Leo nodded slowly, closing his eyes. The pain began to fade away as the deer god's power flowed through his body. He fell asleep. _**(2!)**_

* * *

_**(3) **_Only to awaken hours later to the sound of screaming.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"Come here you!" Raph screamed at Mikey.

"**And I was just about to wake you up," **Kurama complained, not being able to place headphones on the turtle and play loud music.

Leo groaned, sitting up on his bed. '_At least that didn't happen,' _he thought. '_What the heck is going on out there anyway? Huh?'_

He then noticed a slip of paper on his shell, which was clearly not there before. '_Where did this come from?' _

"**Shishigami left you a present while you were sleeping," **the fox commented.

'_He did?' _The turtle opened the piece of paper, and read the contents inside. '"_Special training tonight. Come when you are done."' _

'_Okay then...the guy doesn't do anything for free does he?' _

Deciding that it would probably be best to get out of bed, Leo stood up. He patted his chest, making sure it was fully healed. True to his word, the deer god had healed his rib. The jinchuriki smirked, now knowing that he could once again train and get stronger.

Opening the door, he was met with the sight of Raph beating up Mikey. To the side were a couple of water balloons. The blue masked turtle rolled his eyes. No doubt that the prankster side of Mikey had come out during this time of relaxation, and he wouldn't be surprised if his youngest brother targeted him too.

Not like Mikey could actually hit him to begin with.

For the moment, the blue masked turtle decided to avoid his two fighting brothers entirely, and check up on Donnie. He had a feeling that his younger, genius brother was working on something in his lab. That was how Donnie dealt with stress. While Leo couldn't really understand why more work would ease it, he guessed it was like how training helped relieve him of other things.

He entered the lab, and soon noticed that Raph and Mikey were behind him, finally getting over their fight. Donnie was currently working with a blowtorch, as a metal mask was over his face. The purple masked turtle appeared to be working on…

'_Are those go-karts?' _Leo thought.

"You're still working on that go-kart?" Raph asked.

To this, Donnie took off his face mask, slightly annoyed. "It's not a go-kart," he answered. "It's an all-terrain patrol buggy with detachable side cars." He eagerly showed them the blueprints.

"**More like a pile of junk that'll fall apart three seconds into driving, hehehe," **the fox chuckled.

Leo didn't want to add to it, but it really did look like it was going to fall apart, as it was very close to the ground. Donnie's blueprints may have made it look cool, but in the end, it just looked like a bunch of plastic seats on wheels. Whatever the steering was appeared to be just some PVC pipes. And what did they run on anyway?

"Dude, hasn't Splinter riled us enough?" Mikey asked. "You gotta find a way to relax."

Leo grabbed the blueprints from Donnie, inspecting them. "We all deal with stress in different ways, Mikey," the blue masked turtle stated.

"Yeah, and this is how I deal," Donnie said.

But Mikey smirked at this, and Leo had an extremely bad feeling that his brother was going to do something. '_Why do I feel like he's going to-'_

"And this is how I deal," the orange masked turtle said. "Hyah!" He threw a water balloon straight at Leo.

Yet at the last second, he managed to avoid it by ducking low, saving Donnie's blueprints from getting wet and ruined. Unfortunately for said purple masked turtle, he took the balloon instead. At first, Donnie looked unimpressed, but one sense of negative emotions told Leonardo that it was quite the opposite.

"Ha, ha!" Mikey yelled triumphantly.

That was when Donnie threw his metal face mask on the floor in anger, and proceeded to chase Mikey around and out of the lab.

"You're next, Leo!" his youngest brother yelled. "Dr. Prankenstein makes house calls!"

"**Why do I find that** **slightly...disturbing?" **

'_You're not the only one…' **(3!)**_

He decided that there were more important things to do, so he left the dojo and began walking towards his room. Only, someone stopped him from going any further. Leo looked back and saw Raph following him.

"Hey, uh, you okay?" the red masked turtle asked.

"**He must have noticed you coughing up blood earlier."**

"I'm fine, why?" Leo answered.

"Really? Cause I could've sworn you were coughing up blood," the red masked turtle stated.

The jinchuriki sighed, turning away from his younger brother. He really didn't feel like talking about what happened earlier. But Leo knew that whenever Raphael asked about something, he always tried to get an answer, even if he had to beat someone up. The red masked turtle was that serious when trying to get information.

"Shredder messed you up bad, huh?" Raph sighed. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. What happened after we got knocked out?"

There it was. It was something Leo never wanted to bring up ever again. While there were some positives in regard to the fact that his brothers were unconscious during his outburst at Shredder, the downside was that he had to lie about the situation. And his family knew that the blue masked turtle was a notorious bad liar.

The moment scared him to begin with. Bringing it up again was just like bringing up a bad memory that would never go away. He had lost control that night, for the first time. The intention to get revenge on Shredder for critically injuring his brothers. The desire to kill him. Leo had only snapped out of it at the last moment. Still, it was something he didn't want to remember.

"I'd rather not talk about it," he said.

He heard Raph groan. Of course his brother wasn't that happy after hearing that. The blue masked turtle shook his head.

"But…" Leo sighed. "I think to some degree, Master Splinter is right."

"Weren't you just disagreeing with him earlier?" Raph stated.

"I didn't like that he was driving you three into the ground," the blue masked turtle began. "And it didn't help that I was out of commission for a while. Really the only thing I could do was just sit back and watch you."

"But today, I had enough of that. That's why I came in and stopped him. At least he gave you guys a break for now. But we'll be back to training soon."

"Great," Raph groaned.

"Still, he has a point. Shredder's…"

He looked away for a moment, a shiver went up his spine. "...strong. And there isn't really a way we can defeat him unless we improve more. As of now, we don't stand a chance against him."

Leo tried to keep it short. The jinchuriki didn't like downsizing the strength he had, ever. But he had to, otherwise his secret would come out. If Leo had released more of his anger and rage back then...then maybe…

"Yeah, and he's up there," They heard Mikey behind them, apparently done being chased by Donnie. "Somewhere...waiting for us!"

But he ended up shaking in fear afterwards. "I just freaked myself out!"

"I hate to say it," Donnie came towards them. "But the fact that we've been laying low might be the only reason that we're still alive."

"**Remind me to slap the rat later," **Kurama noted. "**By the way your brothers are speaking, the fear that he had was passed onto them." **

'_But really the only way we can satisfy that fear is for them to get stronger right? They didn't stand a chance at all. I might be able to, given if I'm alone, but…'_

For now, it was best if Leonardo trained more. While he had great pride in his strength and his chakra control, he didn't want to jinx himself. After all, the turtle had nearly fallen unconscious because of the negative energy Shredder had expressed even before their fight. Who knows what could happen if there was just a longer, full on fight.

"I agree," the blue masked turtle stated. "So until we're ready, we stay down here."

"Unfortunately, that's no longer an option."

The four turtles turned around, and saw April at the entrance to the lair, waving her phone in her hand. There was a slight smirk on her face, as if she accomplished something on her own.

"**Ohhhh look who it is. Your-"**

'_SHUT. UP!'_

A few minutes later, all four turtles, as well as Splinter, were in the middle of the lair, listening to a recording on April's phone. Apparently she had succeeded in fooling the Purple Dragons (much to Leo's disapproval) by having them take a pizza box with a small radio attached under it. How said humans didn't realize that there was something underneath was beyond him, and worse, if they did, they could track April's phone.

"We're meeting Shredder tonight. He's got a plan to destroy the turtles," the first one, Fong stated.

This definitely caught Leo's attention. '_How exactly? He doesn't even know that we live in the sewers.'_

"How? He doesn't even know where they are." the second one, Sid answered.

"He says they're in the sewers somewhere, and that's all he needs to know to wipe them out."

"**I swear to the deer god, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT BAKA!"**

A pounding headache followed afterward. '_Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry!'_

"Our home is no longer safe," Splinter commented gravely. "The Shredder must be stopped."

'_Oh now you agree that something has to be done rather than just laying low!'_

"How can we stop a plan that we don't know anything about?" Leo asked Splinter angrily.

The jinchuriki felt a presence behind him, noticing that it was Mikey. No doubt that there was a water balloon in his hand. With precision, Leo took out the tanto knife from his wrappings and laced it with chakra, without anyone noticing of course. This was so he could control the knife if he missed. Thankfully he hit his target as Leo threw it at the balloon Mikey was holding. The balloon broke, as the knife whizzed by his youngest brother's hand as he controlled the direction of it. Mikey whimpered.

"We have to go topside and find out what they're planning," Raph interrupted.

For once, Leo agreed with him. "Raph's right, there's no other way."

It was then that he could just feel the fear and worry emanating from the rat master behind him. Leo knew this wasn't going to be easy for him, as the fear from a few weeks ago had begun to escalate within his father. And worse, the events of earlier didn't help either.

'_We'll be fine,' _he vowed. '_I'll make sure we all come back.'_

* * *

The place turned out to be an old abandoned church in the middle of the city. Well, semi-abandoned. For some reason the church bells were ringing. While some people would know that it was closed for good, others that didn't know about it wouldn't see any harm from it. But Leo knew better, as he saw the three Purple Dragons walk into the building.

'_They're just giving themselves away by ringing those church bells,' _Leo thought.

And for good reason too. He knew the Foot were smart, but to give away their hideout by doing something so obvious to many people around it was just felt stupid. The turtle has no doubt that whoever it was, whether it was a Foot soldier or someone higher up in the clan, their head would probably be on Shredder's platter by the end of the day.

Leo signaled his brothers to stay back for a little bit as they climbed down from the buildings above. Right now, they were across the street from the seemingly abandoned church, hiding out until the coast could be considered clear.

"This is the place," he whispered, as his brothers crowded behind him.

Mikey placed his hand over his shoulder. To Leo's right, Donnie leaned over Raph. While the blue masked turtle was taking the closeness of his brother rather well, Raph however, didn't.

"Donnie, you're crowding me," he said.

"Sorry," said turtle whispered, putting his hands in the air and backing away.

Unfortunately he backed up into a trash can, which made a loud noise. Mikey ended up getting scared by the noise, so he used Leo as a lift to jump up. Of course, said blue masked turtle was annoyed by this, but he chose to ignore it. However, Mikey's jump ended in him knocking into Raph, who got uppercutted. The youngest turtle then landed on the ground, as Raph rubbed his head.

"Sorry," Mikey said sheepishly. "All that Splinter talk about how we're not ready has me thinking maybe we're in over our heads."

This in turn gave him a hit on the head from Raph. "You're always in over your head."

"I'm saying now we all are!" Mikey complained. "And that scares me!" The orange masked turtle slightly cowered in fear.

Leo put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to be scared, Mikey," he said. "Raph is scared too."

"I am not scared!" his brother retaliated, then turned his attention to the church again.

A smirk grew on Leo's face, and Kurama could feel the cynical emotions spike within his jinchuriki. The kitsune perked up and smiled.

'_**Looks like I'm about to see a show...hehe this should be interesting.' **_

The turtle lifted his arm behind Raph, and a tiny spark flew from his finger, indicating he had gathered chakra in that area. Lightning nature, but Kurama had a feeling that wasn't the turtle's signature nature. It wasn't a jutsu, but it worked. Leo placed his finger on the back of Raph's head, sending a small shock down the turtle's body. He yelps, reaching for the back of his head and where the culprit was.

"**Hehehehe...HAHAHAHA!" **

Raph cleared his throat, trying to look all serious and tough. It was then that his fake seriousness turned to anger as he glared at his older brother. Leo began to laugh, just as the giant fox inside his soul began to laugh as well.

Suddenly however, a loud growl was heard, almost like a dog's growl. From his sensing abilities, he knew who it was, and grew a tad bit worried. His brothers backed away in fear as something turned the corner and had discovered them.

"Bradford!"

"Rad-Brad!"

A giant, mutant dog that was of the inu breed towered over the four turtle brothers. He still wore pants and stood on two legs. There appeared to be spikes coming out of his shoulders and fingers. One arm seemed larger than the other as well. His eyes were black, and his pupils were red. In short, definitely something that the turtle brothers should be afraid of.

"Look what I found," he growled. "Four soon-to-be ex-turtles."

"I'm sure glad it's okay to be scared," Mikey said nervously as he backed away with Donatello.

"You and me both," Donnie responded.

"This is _no _time to panic!" Leo tried to reassure his brothers, pulling out his katanas.

Yet he could not hide the sense of dread that washed over him when he felt strong, negative emotions coming from the large dog mutant. They were most definitely stronger than the first few times he and his brothers had battled him. And his head was becoming slightly overwhelmed.

'_Focus Leo! Don't give in! You can handle it!'_

_**(4) **_He rushed forward, jumping straight into the dog mutant's path. Leo sliced both his katana forward, but it was blocked easily by Bradford. The turtle jumped away quickly to avoid an oncoming punch, and succeeded in doing so. But he couldn't stay on the ground for long, as Bradford punched forward. Thankfully he dodged again, doing a backflip in the air and landing by his brothers.

At first, Leo wanted to get a breather, but the dog mutant was too fast. "Dodge!" he yelled, sensing the oncoming punch.

His brothers evaded another punch to the ground in time. This left an opening for Raph, who jumped forward with both sais together. Yet his attack was blocked easily by Bradford's right hand, and the two began to put the pressure on so the other would let up.

Donnie then attacked from the left side, managing to shove his Bo staff underneath the dog mutant's neck, making him stumble backward. However, this did absolutely nothing, as Bradford threw another punch at them. Both Donnie and Raph avoided it in time.

Leo rushed forward as his brothers pushed back, and jumped in the air. He swung his katanas forward, aiming for Bradford's head. But somehow, the dog mutant grabbed both swords while the turtle was in the air.

Unconsciously, he sent invisible chakra down his pair of katana. Bradford felt something warm, then felt his hand getting burned. The dog mutant yelped, letting go of the katanas and letting Leo get away.

Above him, Mikey used his nunchucks to slide down an electric cable. This also failed, as Bradford managed to send the orange masked turtle flying into Donnie. They both groaned in pain.

"This is hopeless!" Donnie exclaimed, implying a potential retreat.

"Keep your head in the game!" Leo yelled, but they soon dodged Bradford's punch.

"**You need to stop with the comparisons," **the fox commented. "**Your comparisons are terrible. Almost as bad as Mi-"**

'_I get it!'_

Kurama was actually thankful that Leonardo had cut him off. He had almost said the fourth Hokage's name, something that he promised Shishigami he wouldn't say anything about. Ever. And it was only because he didn't want to hurt the turtle's feelings as every time he even went into that human form, it just brought up bad memories.

"I just want to keep my head on my _body_," Donnie complained with panic.

"Come on, what are we retreating for?" Raph yelled in anger.

He ran forward, only to get punched by Bradford and end up in a dumpster in the alley. Seconds later, he opened the cover to it.

"That's a good reason," he groaned.

"Mikey, smoke!" Leo commanded, a hint of anger in his voice.

This however, only caused his youngest brother to panic even more. As he got out the homemade smoke bomb, he fumbled with it, only for the egg to drop. It cracked on the ground, a tiny puff of smoke coming out, but not enough to mask their escape. Yet Leo still smelled it.

'_I thought I told Donnie to de-scent it!' _

"What was that?!" Raph complained, only bringing even more panic to his brother.

"I'm STRESSED!" Mikey yelled. "Excuse me if my aim's a little off!"

The growling of the dog mutant in front of them increased, another punch landing on the ground. This pushed the brothers back even more.

"How hard is it to hit the ground!?" Raph commented sarcastically.

Immediately, he threw another egg bomb at the ground, only it didn't hit the pavement. It got caught in the grate for one of the sewer drains. Raph tried to grab it quickly, but the vibrations he made on the grate caused it to fall into the water. He growled in frustration.

"Not so easy, is it?!" the orange masked turtle behind him exclaimed.

Leo was at the point of breaking with anger. His eyes were about to turn completely red as he lost his patience for once.

"Oh, would you guys just f-!"

Kurama purposely took control then, as his jinchuriki was about to say something very coarse. The turtle threw the smoke bomb on the ground, and the smoke covered them completely. They soon disappeared into the sewers afterward, leaving Bradford behind. _**(4!)**_

The dog mutant looked at his hand. It was slightly charred, but there was no sign of a first or second degree burn. In all honesty, he didn't expect to be burned in this situation.

'_Master Shredder was right,' _he thought. '_That turtle is a demon…'_

* * *

They all arrived home safely after their encounter with one of Shredder's top henchmen. And boy were they beat. Especially Leonardo. He now rested on the couch, head down and eyes closed. Secretly, he was in his mindscape, lying on one of Kurama's tails.

The mission had failed. Miserably. The turtles didn't even get close to Shredder's lair. Even worse, they couldn't even take on one of Shredder's top henchmen, who they had been able to beat previously. But now with his new mutated form, Bradford was a lot stronger.

"Thanks for stopping me earlier," Leo thanked the tailed beast. "I thought I was going to lose it again."

"**Hmm. We wouldn't want you going all out on your brothers, now would we?"** the fox chuckled.

The turtle blushed in embarrassment at the comment. But he later put out a sigh, remembering the events that almost led up to it.

"What're we going to do now?" he spoke aloud. "We tried sneaking in, but that didn't work out so well…"

"**Sneak in by yourself?" **Kurama mentioned.

"That could work, but the only problem with that is I would have to find a way to sneak out, have to be able to get the information, stop them from carrying out said plan, and get back here before anyone notices."

"However…" he sighed. "There would be a lot of questions with that. For example, if I were to sneak out, what would happen if I got back? Grounded again? Not only that, but Splinter would no doubt be asking me as to how I defeated Shredder's henchmen all by myself when we couldn't even defeat one?"

"**Good point."**

"Even so, we have to stop Shredder's plan somehow. But I'm not sure how without getting caught or having any sort of suspicion around me."

Leo put his hands on his head in frustration. "Arrgghhh! What do I do?!"

He felt Splinter's presence get closer to him, so he turned back to the fox. "I'll be back in a sec."

The turtle opened his eyes and faced his father. "We couldn't take him…" Leo said.

"Dogpound was just too powerful," he heard Mikey say.

"Dogpound?" Leo asked.

"What? 'Cause he's a dog, and he pounded us into the-"

"We get it," Leo growled lowly.

"**Still better than anything you can come up with."**

'_HEY!'_

Yet this did not change his attitude towards the situation. "I don't see how we're gonna get close to that meeting now…"

"Well, maybe we just need to find a new place to hide," Donnie suggested. "I hear the sewers in Florida are nice this time of year…" the turtle held up his computer screen, showing a website about Florida.

"**On the bright side, I've heard that place has swamps and a bunch of alligators you can train against. Hehe."**

'_Why are making it sound like this is a good idea to move down there…?'_

But to his surprise, April came up behind them and shut the computer. "No, I'm not letting you guys give up," she said.

"I'll spy on the meeting."

Immediately, April was met with five voices of disapproval, along with a sixth one that only one person could hear.

"No way!" Raph.

"Nuh-uh!" Mikey.

"You can't!" Donnie, who surprisingly said it in an angry tone.

"Forget it!" Leo.

"**Protect her at any cost, I'm starting to like her!" **Kurama mocked.

'_FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HER!' _Yet he couldn't hide the blush of embarrassment that plagued his face. Leo hoped that no one would notice it.

"Absolutely not!" Splinter yelled.

The blue masked turtle could feel a slight uprising in anger coming from April, but the girl sighed. "I can do this. You've been training me to be a kunoichi."

Oh, that's right. The red haired girl had been training with Master Splinter for a few weeks at this point. April wanted to learn some self defense so that an event like when she first met the brothers wouldn't happen again. And Leo had to admit, she was getting pretty good at it. Yet still, the amount of time she had spent training wasn't enough to go on a real mission, as least not now.

"For a few weeks," Splinter noted.

And his Sensei was right. His brothers had been training for years in order to get where they are at right now. Leo even more so, as his body was able to take more because of Kurama and the chakra training he had possessed. The training with the deer god helped as well. Even so, April was nowhere near the levels of strength like the turtles. If they couldn't beat Bradford, then what was the point of her going in their place?

"What choice do we have?" April began to reason. "Shredder's going to attack your home, and we need to find out how, and I'm the only one who can do it."

"**She has a point. Your girlfriend has not been seen by enemy forces as much, since she has always been in disguise or hidden."**

'_That's true, and why do you constantly not refer to anyone by their name? You don't even say my brothers' names either, or you call Master Splinter 'the rat.' Why?'_

"**When they're worthy of my respect, that is when I call them by their names. Like you, Leonardo."**

'_Until then, you're still going to call her 'my girlfriend' aren't you?'_

"**Hmph. Well, I'm not sure if that might change…"**

'_Uggghhhhh…'_

* * *

_A few hours later, nighttime…_

In the end, April had managed to convince the Hamatos that she could spy on the mission for them. She put on a gray colored hoodie and carried yet another pizza box that had another one of those "Teen Spy" devices at the bottoms of it. While Leo highly doubted that the Foot soldiers would be that stupid enough to actually fall for it, it was still worth a try.

"I don't like this," he heard Donnie say next to him.

Currently, the four brothers hid on the roof of a building across from the abandoned church. They kept watch in case something happened to April.

'_Donnie's too worried about her. She'll be fine. It's not like she's actually going to go in there.' _

"Me neither," Mikey said. "Giving the enemy a free pizza? Pssh, never a good idea."

Leo watched as April knocked on the door to the abandoned church. As expected, a Foot soldier answered it. Unfortunately, after what he thought she said were a few words about the pizza, the Foot soldier slammed the door on her.

'_Ugh. Not surprised, but not totally expected either. Now what?'_

He noticed that she ran out of sight into a back alleyway. April held the pizza, while taking out her phone. Leo's phone buzzed, and he picked it up. But not before noticing the profile picture that was supposed to be set for April. And he had a feeling someone had changed it while he was asleep.

'_Okay, why did you change April's picture from what she actually looks like to Nami from One Piece?!'_

"**You said she wasn't your girlfriend," **Kurama replied innocently.

'_I hate you.'_

"**Love you too."**

Leo picked up the call. As expected, an annoyed April answered, knowing that her mission had failed.

"Argh, looks like the Foot Clan are smarter than the Purple Dragons," she stated.

"They'd almost have to be, wouldn't they?" Leo answered. "Thanks April. You did your best."

The jinchuriki ended the call from there. He groaned in frustration. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be that easy to infiltrate the meeting. The church's bells began to ring soon afterward. His eyes went from his brothers to the abandoned church. And if he wasn't mistaken, there was a break in the giant stained glass at the front of the church.

His eyes gleamed with a tint of red in those blue irises. '_Looks like we're doing things my way.'_

_**(5) **_"Stay here," he told his brothers.

"Leo, what are you-" Donnie nearly finished.

But by the time he did, his brother was already gone. Leo ran off to a building or two down the block with great speed. He stopped once he knew that his brothers were out of sight. Looking at the distance between him and the other building across the street, he took a deep breath.

'_Here goes nothing!'_

Swiftly, Leo henged into his lion form, and ran. He jumped with great precision, soaring through the air like it was nothing. Normally, Leo wouldn't be able to jump that far if he was with his brothers. However since they were out of sight, he could go as far as he wanted.

His body landed in the middle of the roof across the street. '_I still got it, even after three weeks of no training.'_

Henging back into a mutant turtle, he managed to make it back to the building that was right next to the abandoned church. His eyes trailed to his brothers, who were as shocked as they could be as they fathomed how exactly their brother got across. Leo looked down at April, who noticed him. He signaled for her to stay where she was, then promptly jumped onto the roof of the abandoned church.

The turtle ran across the roof, until he got to the opening in the cracked stained glass. Leo crawled inside, and had gotten inside undetected. Yet he realized how vulnerable and noticeable he was when he saw where he was. There was Shredder, sitting on a throne proudly, and there was no doubt during that he could probably see him.

"**Henge into something baka!" **Kurama commanded.

Leo did so, henging into a black cat, but still had his T-Phone out. The inside of the church was, for the most part, empty. Save for Shredder's throne on the other side of it. The center aisle was stone, and on either side was water. Leo could see Xever, who had mutated into a fish swimming around in there.

It looked dark and eerie in there. Clear glass replaced where stained glass was, making the entire area noticeable from the outside. Still, he questioned as to why this was the case. It would be so easy for enemies to spy on them. But then again, it would be easy for Shredder to find spies, so he supposed that was a plus.

The door beneath him opened, and out stepped Bradford. The Purple Dragons followed suit, along with a few Foot soldiers. It seemed that whatever this plan was, it definitely involved a lot of complex planning to it.

'_Good thing I henged into something else, otherwise Brad-ugh, Dogpound, would've probably detected my scent.'_

"Listen carefully," Shredder began.

Leo turned his T-Phone on, so his brothers could hear the conversation.

"Five of you will hijack a tanker on Houston in approximately fifteen minutes. The chemical is extremely rare, so you will _not _have another chance. Once you hijack the tanker, you will drive it down and dump it into a nearby sewer. It will react negatively with water, incinerating everything in seconds. Which will destroy them once and for all. Now go!"

'_Holy...we better get back now! If that plan works, the lair will be incinerated! And Splinter too!' _

Brad-uhh Dogpound, as well as the Purple Dragons left the abandoned church, leaving Leo alone. And Shredder all by himself. He released the henge, and watched the man sitting on the throne for a moment.

"You have been watching, haven't you, demon?"

Leo's eyes widened, but he suppressed his shock. Jumping down from his hiding spot and onto the stone floor, he faced Shredder.

'_Should've waited to release the henge.'_

"And what if I have?" Leo stated.

"You have transformative abilities," Shredder commented.

"**Be careful," **Kurama told him. "**This is not going to end well if you stick around any longer."**

The negative emotions around Shredder were almost as strong as they were during their fight on the Wolf Building rooftop. Yet with the mental training he had given himself during those past few weeks of rest, Leo managed to push them aside.

"You put on quite the show weeks ago. I wonder...will you do it again?"

The turtle gritted his teeth in anger, fists clenching. But as soon as his anger rose, he quickly hid it. Leo couldn't deal with him now. The more time wasted here, the less he had to save his home. And his father.

"I'll fight you, but not today," Leo vowed. "One on one. But when I do…" He took out his katana and pointed it at Shredder, visible red chakra flowing through it.

"I'll _end _this feud."

He threw a smoke bomb, and disappeared. _**(5!) **_The turtle climbed through the break in the stained glass, trying to find his brothers. Yet to his surprise, they weren't there.

'_Where the heck are they?!' _Leo thought.

Taking out his T-Phone, he called Donnie. It rang a few times before his purple masked brother finally decided to pick up.

"Donnie! Where the heck are you guys?!" he yelled.

"_April got kidnapped!" _Donnie exclaimed through the phone.

Leo's breath hitched. "What do you mean she got kidnapped?!"

"_Well, umm she felt bad that she couldn't do anything, so April tried to hitch a ride with them. But Dogpound found her and she got captured! She's in some black van with them now!' _

The jinchuriki tried his best to suppress a growl, but it still came out. "Where are you guys now?" he asked.

"_We're getting the go-karts Leo!" _Mikey yelled in the background.

"_For the last time Mikey, they're patrol buggies!" _he heard Donnie yell. "_We're heading to the lair right now. Unfortunately, somebody decided to pick a fight with me so we couldn't hear all of the plan!"_

"_Hey!" _Raph yelled.

Leo groaned. Of course they didn't hear the entire plan. Not that he didn't entirely expect something like this to happen. Still, it was upsetting. At least he heard the plan.

"Dogpound and the Purple Dragons plan on taking some tanker filled with an extremely rare chemical. Once they hijack it, they'll dump it in the sewers and all of it will incinerate!"

"_Chlorosulfonic acid!" _Donnie exclaimed. "_It's a type of acid that reacts violently with water. If they dump it in the sewers, everything will be incinerated in seconds, including the lair!" _

"Meet up with me on Houston, got it?" Leo told him. "I'll follow them alright? Get going!"

"_Leo, you can't keep up-!" _

But he hung up soon afterward. Leo smirked, a slight chuckle coming out.

'_Who says I can't outrun the van?'_

* * *

And he actually did manage to keep up with the van. Tracking Dogpound and the Purple Dragons was extremely easy thanks to his sensory skills. Not only that but his speed came in handy was well. And it was pretty obvious considering there was a giant dog mutant hanging onto the side of it. But he decided to not attack them, at least not until his brothers showed up, and did his best to hide the fact that he was following them.

Leo immediately saw the tanker that Shredder had been talking about. The black van sped up ahead of it, and Dogpound got out and stood in its path. This startled the tanker driver, leading to him stepping on the breaks. The tanker stopped, and the dog mutant tore off the door to the driver side.

"Get. Out." Dogpound commanded.

The driver fled in fear. Instead, a Foot soldier got in and began to drive. Dogpound hitching a ride on its side, and the black van followed behind it.

"Call Shredder," he told the soldier driving. "Tell him that we've acquired the tanker and we're on our way. No problems encountered."

However, the sound of tires screeching caught his attention.

"Hold that call," the dog mutant growled. "Run them down.

And there the three brothers were, driving Donnie's makeshift go-karts. The entire thing was put together for the moment, with Donnie driving on the left side and Raph next to him and Mikey in the back.

'_They can't slow down now. Okay then, let's try this!'_

Just before the go-kart rammed into the tanker, it split in two, with each part driving on either side of the tanker. Raph was caught unaware for a moment, but managed to grab whatever the steering wheel was and control his vehicle. Donnie was still in control on his go-kart, but he felt a slight weight shift in the back, so he turned around. And was met with shock.

"LEO?!"

"Hi Donnie."

_**(6) **_The blue masked turtle sat on the go-kart behind him casually. In reality, he had used the Teleportation Jutsu to mask his movements, and then with a burst of speed, managed to get onto the go-kart without any issues. How Leo was able to do this will forever be a mystery to Donnie.

"How did you-"

"Don't ask," Leo told him.

He looked ahead, noticing that the black van had taken a turn off onto a side street. It seems that their plan was to split up. The jinchuriki got an idea. Raph and Mikey drove up alongside them.

"Donnie!" You and Raph stay with the van and save April," Leo told them. "Mikey, you're coming with me. We have to stop that tanker!"

"Um, if you haven't noticed, I'm stuck with Raph," Mikey objected.

"No problem," the red masked turtle said sarcastically.

Raph pulled a lever beside his leg. This in turn released whatever was holding the go-kart behind him, and Mikey along with it. The orange masked turtle screamed, but it then turned into a scream of enjoyment, as he finally got a hold of driving.

"Well, that was fun," he commented.

Donnie pulled the lever next to him, and Leo's go-kart was released. At first he was a little bit startled, but soon got the hang of driving it. Raph and Donnie soon left to follow the van while he and Mikey still remained behind the tanker. The two turtles drove alongside each other.

The tanker swerved and stopped, as Dogpound jumped off, grabbed a manhole cover, and threw it at Leonardo. At the last second, Leo jumped off his go-kart, as it got destroyed by the flying manhole cover. He landed after doing a front flip in the air, pulling out his katanas.

"Is that all you got?" he taunted.

Unfortunately, this only made the dog mutant angrier. "Apparently not," Mikey pulled up alongside him.

Both turtles charged at Dogpound, weapons out and ready. He swung at them, but the brothers managed to dodge as they jumped into the air. Yet before they could land their attacks, Mikey was punched away. Leo was still able to land a hit, slashing both katanas. The blow was blocked by Dogpound.

Mikey landed off to the side as Leo continued to fight. He laced his blades with invisible flowing chakra, hoping to at least get a hit in. Yet despite being large, Dogpound was able to avoid and block them. The dog mutant then started to attack, and Leo had to change into defensive mode. He soon got uppercutted, and landed on the ground in pain. Thankfully Mikey was there to defend him, as he slammed into Dogpound as hard as he could.

Even so, the orange masked turtle was thrown back into a nearby scaffolding. Leo retaliated, but was kicked as well. He landed on a steel pipe, coughing up a little blood. Turning to his right, he saw Mikey next to him.

"Grab on!" he yelled.

His brother wasn't sure why, but he did anyway. Leo threw a smoke bomb, but in reality did a Teleportation Jutsu out of there, and higher up onto the scaffolding. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed the Foot solider who was driving the truck earlier get out and grab the hose on the side of it.

"Don't let him dump that acid!" Leo told Mikey.

'_Here he comes!' _

The jinchuriki sensed Dogpound, and both turtles dodged before he could get them. Yet when Mikey dodged, he ended up falling over the edge. He grabbed the scaffolding and leaped down, with the dog mutant just looking on. Mikey ran towards the Foot soldier and kicked him in the face before clashing again. This was when Dogpound got off of the scaffolding and headed towards the orange masked turtle.

"**Well, what are you waiting for baka? Go!"**

Leo soon ran and jumped off of the scaffolding, chakra covered blades fuming. But his attack was meaningless, as the dog mutant pushed him away with ease. Using the scaffolding as a springboard, Leo jumped forward, aiming at Dogpound. But then, he sensed.

'_I need to move, NOW!'_

And good thing he did, because otherwise he would've been hit by a car. The mutant in front of his was swinging it around like a toy, trying to hit Leo. Soon he let go of it, and that gave plenty of room for the turtle to land a blow with his katanas. Dogpound yelped, as the blades slightly burned. Yet he managed to fling the turtle away and into Mikey, who was fighting the lone Foot soldier.

They groaned in pain, but soon able to avoid a fist slamming into the ground from Dogpound. Leo however couldn't get away in time, as his left hand was caught. He was pinned against the tanker, as the chakra covered blade was strong enough to penetrate the side, causing some of the chlorosulfonic acid to leak out. The jinchuriki kicked Dogpound away and was able to free his blade from the tanker, making a bigger opening for the acid to leak out of.

'_This...is...almost impossible…' _he thought tiredly. '_It's becoming harder to take him down as time goes on. Agh, what do we do?!'_

There was still some of the acid on his blade, and he shook it off. A thought occurred to him.

'_Wait a sec. Donnie said this stuff reacts violently with water right? Shredder said the same thing too. That's it! We can just throw some water on it, and it'll explode because of the acid and the gasoline in the engine! But where the heck do we get water…' _

"**Your brother has two water balloons on him," **Kurama commented.

'_For once his prank is actually useful!' _

"Mikey! Throw the water balloon!" Leo yelled.

"Uhh what water balloon," Mikey asked in a fake way, trying to hide that he didn't know anything about it.

"The one you were going to hit _me _with?!" he snarled.

And there it was, a yellow colored balloon behind the orange masked turtle's back in his right hand. Leo looked over him and saw it and wasn't surprised. Mikey however was the complete opposite.

"Dude, you are _good_."

As soon as Mikey threw the balloon at the tanker, Leo tackled him, forcing his brother to the ground for their safety. It broke as soon as it made contact. Dogpound looked over at the tanker, as a high pitched noise rang out.

Thus, the tanker exploded.

Leo and Mikey were thrown back behind a car, which took the brunt of the force from the explosion. Thankfully , they survived with minor injuries. A big cloud enveloped the explosion, but died down in a few seconds. The two brothers got up, and looked on. The blue masked turtle smirked in victory. _**(6!)**_

"Nice shot Mi-"

He was cut off, as his body was taken over by Kurama in an instant. The orange masked turtle threw a pink water balloon at him. But through the use of chakra, the fox in the turtle's body managed to grab it by stabilizing the chakra in his hands. In revenge, he threw it at Mikey, who got soaked. Then, he gave the body back to its original owner.

'_Ohhh god, that felt horrible,' _Leo silently moaned, the pressure from the fox taking over his body giving him a headache.

"**You owe me one, hehe." **

"Dude, how did you know that I had _two_?" Mikey gasped.

"_Don't _ask," Leo growled, feeling the effects of the headache.

Immediately, his sensory abilities picked up his other brothers. Raph and Donnie came up from behind them, having completed their goal of stopping the van.

"Eh, looks like we missed the fireworks," Raph commented.

"Donnie, the go-kart worked great," Leo commented.

'_Well, sort of anyway. It got destroyed by a flying manhole cover. Hehe. I'll tell him about that later…'_

"Thanks Leo," Donnie told him. "And it's a patrol buggy."

* * *

They made it back to the lair successfully without anyone spotting them. Leo could finally take it easy for a little bit and relax for the time being before he headed out to meet Shishigami for nightly training. For the moment, he just watched his brothers eat some pizza.

"Nothing says victory like the sweet taste of pizza," Mikey commented, as he proceeded to eat a slice.

On the other hand, Donnie tasted his slice and was slightly disgusted. He smelled it, and groaned. "Egh, this pizza smells kinda funky. Where'd you get it?"

"It's the one April threw out."

And thus proceeded the actions in which Raph and Donnie tried their best to get the pizza out of their system. Leo and Kurama chuckled at this, the latter loving to see the other turtles suffer. Though the blue masked turtle tried to hide the fact that he was laughing.

"What?" Mikey asked. "We live in a sewer. Now you're clean freaks? Heh, more for me." He took the rest of the pizza, while Donnie and Raph growled at him.

"My sons." Leo had sensed him coming. And as the four turned around, there was Master Splinter, walking up to them.

"I owe you my gratitude...and an apology."

The jinchuriki stood up, confused. "An apology?" he asked.

'_Is this because of what happened to me earlier?' _

"Fear clouded your minds," the rat master continued. "However it was not the Shredder that fueled that fear, but me." He looked dejected. "You overcame that fear, and performed admirably. No training today…"

All four turtles rejoiced, Leo especially since he now had time with the deer god.

...unless Michaelangelo throws that balloon." Splinter finished.

They all turned, only to see the orange masked turtle ready to throw a blue colored water balloon. He hesitated for a moment, then threw on a sheepish smile.

"You are so going to get it!" Raph yelled.

And immediately afterward, Donnie and Raph tackled Mikey to the ground in anger. Leo sighed, watching the three get into yet another fight. He got up and began to head back to his room.

'_Guess it's about time I go see Shishigami. I'll have to thank him for fixing my rib…' _his thoughts paused. '_...earlier…' _

There was still that lingering thought in his mind. And he could still sense distress from his father. The rat master came over to his eldest son and began to speak.

"I must apologize especially to you, my son," Splinter began. "In my fear for you, my actions only led to myself hurting you further. I should have not pushed all of you into my own fear. I ask that you forgive me for my actions."

To his surprise, Leonardo came up to him and hugged him. Earlier, the turtle thought he didn't care about his injuries, that his fear was solely focused on Shredder. Yet it was quite the opposite, and the jinchuriki understood that now.

"Arigato, Sensei…"

He did not speak anything else, for after that, Leo pulled out of the hug and smiled at his father, a genuine smile. Then, he turned away and walked into his room. Shutting the door behind him, the turtle laid down on the bed.

'_I'm ready, Shishigami..'_

And the deer god whisked him away from his home to train.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 9! Yee! **

**Sorry this took a little longer. We've switched to online school now so I'm still getting work. But I'm still pulling through for now. **

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!** **Let me know what you think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	11. Ch 10 Friends in High Places

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! And welcome to Chapter 10! Yee! This chapter is from one of my favorite episodes of the series. Now I decided to put this one first instead of "I, Monster," because that way it gives time between the first initial meeting of two characters and their second encounter. So that's why! (And that's how I remembered it airing XD) **

**Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot! Let's get into it!**

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Loneliness - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(2) Nervous - Naruto OST 1**_

_**(3) Kakashi's theme - Naruto OST 1**_

_**(4) Bad Situation - Naruto OST 1  
**_

_**(5) Shitsui (Despair) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(6) Strangeness - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(7) Gekiha (Crushing) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2**_

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.**

**Chapter 10**

**Friends in High Places**

Life almost never went Leonardo's way. At times, he was so sure of it too. The only problem was that he didn't know what exactly caused it half the time. Was it the "turtle luck" that he and his brothers supposedly have? Or was it some sort of "curse of the nine-tails" that Kurama had unknowingly inflicted on him when the fox was sealed inside of him? Either way, it had to be something.

If anything ever went the jinchuriki's way, then there would be something bad to screw it up or just love to mess with his time. Somehow, Leo had gotten alone time for the first time in a while, and thoroughly enjoyed it because everything was going his way. Then suddenly there was Shredder on the Wolf Building and it all fell apart. A broken rib and three weeks later, he somehow made it through.

Yet there were rare occurrences that everything would go the way the jinchuriki wanted it to for a very long time, and then a very big event would break up the tension. Him running away five years ago for a day is an example. The only issue was that there weren't any occurrences for a very long time. By that point Leo was so sure an incident like that wouldn't happen again.

However…

"And the award for worst leader goes to-"

This was one of those instances…

He was fuming with anger, an emotion that Leo hardly ever showed. It wasn't uncommon for Raphael to throw jabs at his older brother in regards to his leadership skills, but today just seemed like too much.

"How am _I _the worst leader?" Leo had to question, and began to regret it, as it only added more fuel to the fire that was Raph's temper.

"If we did this my way, Snakeweed would've been toast by now!" the red masked turtle protested.

Yes, that was the problem. Earlier, they had been chasing the plant mutant, who had kidnapped a pizza delivery boy. Soon, they trapped him into an alleyway, and Leonardo wanted to surprise Snakeweed from above. Yet he and his hot headed brother killed some time by arguing, and thus Snakeweed got away.

"Ugh. That would be some nasty toast," Mikey commented off to the side. Soon afterward, Donnie pulled the orange masked turtle back, as the two older brothers began to fight.

"This way would've worked if you hadn't wasted time second-guessing my orders," Leo retaliated.

"**Baka, you really think he's going to listen to you?" **Kurama sneered. "**Oi, oi. Your chakra's flaring up."**

"Don't give bad orders, and I won't second-guess 'em!" Raph shouted.

The anger from his brother was clearly increasing by the second. So much in fact, that it was starting to slightly overwhelm the blue masked turtle. He just wanted to end. The pressure of leadership was already strong enough, but this was at the breaking point. And finally, Leo broke through.

_**(1) **_"You know what Raph? If you think you can do better, why don't you lead?"

As he said that, his eyes showed a slight redness in his pupils, and his face began to darken. Donatello was probably the only one who could notice it, but the air pressure seemed to have risen significantly.

'_Did he just-?!' _both Donnie and Mikey thought.

"**Oooo now this is interesting."**

"First good idea you've had all day!" Raph commented sarcastically.

The two turtles growled at each other, somewhat in a sense fighting over dominance. It wasn't until Mikey spoke up that the tension seemed to disperse, though only a little.

"We'll compromise. I'll lead," Mikey stated.

But at the sight of his older brothers giving him an angry glare, as well as it appeared that there was a raging fire over their heads, Mikey backed away and went next to Donnie. Leo clenched his fist.

"Fine, Raph, the team's yours. I'm out of here."

With that, Leonardo raced away from his brothers, and Raph swore he could see a few tears drop from his brother's eyes. Only when they were out of sight did Leo increase his speed tenfold, rivaling those of the fastest shinobi in existence. Yet as he ran away from his brothers, little did he know that someone was eyeing his conversation.

In only a few minutes, the blue masked turtle was on the rooftops of some of the higher buildings in the city. He decided to rest for a moment, catching his breath, letting everything in his system, including his chakra, calm down.

And proceeded to slam his fist into the ground, hard.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

A few tears came out of his eyes and fell to the ground. Leo hunched over, now on his hands and knees. He clenched his fists in frustration.

"Why can't I do anything right?!" the fifteen year old cried out. "How come everything I do just ends in failure?! Why...why…"

The tears came falling faster, as more and more hit the ground. His emotions were in a state of disarray and turmoil. He just couldn't deal with it anymore. Leo didn't want to handle the responsibilities of leadership. He didn't want the burden. Today was the last straw.

"Why does it feel like they all hate me?!"

His brothers never listened to him. What broke Leonardo the most was that Donnie and Mikey sat back and practically did nothing while he and Raph were fighting. Well, his youngest brother did interrupt, but that was beside the point. Nothing was done about the situation.

Did they really just let him give up leadership? Did his two youngest brothers really want Raph as the leader instead? Was he that bad of a leader?

"_Don't give bad orders, and I won't second guess 'em!" _Raph had said.

"_And the award for worst leader goes to-" _he had commented to Leo.

He had no doubt that Donnie had his thoughts about him. The purple masked turtle probably second guessed as well because of his genius mind. And what about Mikey? Did he have his own thoughts on his leadership skills? Mikey had said earlier that he would lead.

No, it couldn't possibly be true. His younger brothers...they couldn't _hate _him could they? The thought of it only made Leo's feelings sink into despair even more.

"I...I don't want...to go back…" he whispered. "Not now at least…"

Going back meant more arguments with his brother. Not to mention, if Splinter found out that he had given the leadership over to Raphael, there was no doubt in his mind that his father would scold him for doing such a thing.

"_Leadership is not about being appreciated," _Splinter would probably say. "_It is about responsibility. It doesn't matter that the burden is heavy. It matters that you carry it!"_

Yet how could he carry it if all his brothers did was complain, ignore him, and then get injured, thus putting the blame on him?

"**Stop your pathetic crying," **Kurama suggested. "**Get your mind off of it for now. You wanted to walk around the city for a while now, yes?"**

This seemed to stir something within the jinchuriki. He lifted his head, wiping away some of the tears. That was when he remembered that Kurama was there, watching him.

'_I've wanted to go downtown and explore around there for a while…'_

Rarely had he actually ever gone within the busiest parts of the city. This was mostly because if there ever was an incident regarding him henging out of his human form and back into his turtle form, disaster would ensue. Not to mention even if Leo managed to get home unscathed, his family would question as to why and how he was in the center of the city.

But what else could he do to make himself feel better? Leo couldn't go back home now. So why not an evening off to himself?

"**Your idiotic family isn't here to criticize you. Take the night off."**

'_I guess it wouldn't hurt to walk around…It might cheer me up...'_

Leo stood up, once again wiping away the remaining tears from his eyes. There was a new expression on his face, one that was more uplifting and happy. A smirk grew on his face, his eyes determined. One night off wouldn't be so bad right? _**(1!)**_

_**(2) **_Suddenly, he sensed many presences near him. The sound of footsteps coming up to the turtle were heard. Quickly, Leo turned around, katanas pulled out. Just as he thought, there were a few Foot soldiers ready to take him on.

"Foot Clan? You guys might've actually made my night," he scoffed.

They lunged towards him, weapons out and ready. Leo ducked as a sword was swung at him, and proceeded to elbow the guy off the building. The next one came in to strike at the turtle, but he blocked it, managing to push the soldier to the ground. A third one swung down, and Leo dodged the swing of the sword. He then kicked the guy to the ground. And they were now all unconscious.

"Ahh. I feel so much better…"

However, he immediately turned his guard back on, sensing yet another presence nearby. Looking up towards the top of the billboard he saw something, or rather someone.

'_Who is she?'_

The girl jumped down, doing a front flip in the air before landing in front of the blue masked turtle. She wore metallic armor on her upper half of her body, as well as along her legs and part of her arms. The rest was black clothing. Leo couldn't see the entirety of her face, as she wore a metal mask, but he could see the red makeup around her eyes. Her hair was short and black, with the lower half being yellow and side bangs along the side of her head, like Leo's were in his human form.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was from the Foot Clan. After all, who else would decide to show up after a bunch of ninjas came to attack a giant, mutant turtle? The only question was why he was only seeing her now? Sure, the Foot were full of surprises, but he had encountered _Shredder_ before even getting a hint that she also existed.

Not only that, but why wasn't this girl wearing standard Foot attire? It appeared that she was no ordinary Foot soldier. If that were the case, then why wasn't she dispatched against him and his brothers sooner? Bradford and Xever were. So then why…?

"Not bad," she commented.

'_Where did she come from? She looks just around my age! Well, sort of anyway…'_

"Uhh, thanks?" the turtle answered.

"You might actually be a challenge," the girl noted, calmly making her way towards him. She slowly reached for her weapon.

"**There's blinding powder on that blade," **Kurama stated. Leo could smell it was well, thanks to his heightened senses.

Swiftly, the girl pulled out her blade, throwing blinding powder towards him. Thinking fast, Leo closed his eyes, letting the powder hit him. He used his chakra as his "eyes" instead, now getting a very clear image in his mind as to where she was. And she was currently running straight at him. He took one of his katana, lacing it with chakra, and swung, but not too hard. The blue masked turtle heard the kunoichi fall to the ground, and as such, pinned her down.

Opening his eyes, she saw her below him. But the kunoichi had a smirk on her face, not even afraid that he had defeated her.

"I guess you are," she stated matter of factly.

The kunoichi was about to throw a punch at the turtle, but he got off of her, avoiding the blow. Leo stood back, away from her in case she had any other tricks.

"My name's Karai," she answered, taking off her face mask, and putting her blade away. "See you around."

With that, Karai proceeded to jump up and over the billboard and disappeared. Leo took a second to collect himself before promptly saying…

"What the hell was that?" _**(2!) **_

"**Karai is your new girlfriend."**

'_WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!'_

"**Forget April. I like this new girl."**

'_Ugggggh…'_

His mind was in a whirlwind of emotions. From going to anger, to sadness, to excitement, and then to confusion. Leo just wanted to go and relax for the rest of the night. Speaking of which…

'_What day is it today anyway?'_

Instantly he remembered, knowing full well what the day was. Without hesitation, the turtle ran for downtown, ready to enjoy his night off finally. Unbeknownst to him, Karai began to follow him once again, wondering as to why he was going in that direction.

* * *

_**(3) **__An hour later…_

'_Rock.'_

"**Paper."**

'_Scissors.'_

"**S**_H_**O**_O_**T**_!' _

'_Dang it!'_

"**Hahaha! Looks like someone is buying a copy of Pokemon Shield."**

'_And I wanted Sword too…'_

Ever since Mikey had found a broken Wii U in sewers (which for some reason was down there in the first place and not to mention Donnie was somehow able to miraculously fix it too, much to Mikey's pleasure) he secretly made a Nintendo account just in case if Leo could ever sneak out before Christmas and buy Mikey a game. Sadly he never did, but at least the thing somehow came with a few games.

Most recently however, there was an event that if you entered, there was a possibility that you could win something. Just for the heck of it, Leo entered it, despite knowing that his luck was terrible and that he probably wouldn't win anything to begin with.

Well, he won.

And here Leonardo was, in downtown New York City in the Nintendo of America store, henged into his human form, about to receive his prize; a Switch lite, Zacian and Zamazenta edition. Only problem was that he had no games for it. And so the jinchuriki played a game of rock paper scissors with Kurama to see what version to get. And unfortunately he lost.

Leo picked up the copy of the game and paid for it, along with a Zeraora plushie. He left the store with a new gaming console in his possession. The fifteen year old boy sighed in happiness. If he was right about one thing, it was the fact that tonight had been worth it.

The towering skyscrapers glowed brightly with flashing food and soda ads, as well as other products. The sound of thousands of people walking past him didn't bother the jinchuriki. He kept a smile on his face, taking in his surroundings. While it was noisy, to him it was very relaxing. Irony, downtown New York City considered to be relaxing.

'_Hmm, where should I go next? I'm a little hungry I guess. Should I go to Murakami-san's noodle shop? No, if I go there, he'll ask about my family. Maybe pizza? Nah, too greasy. Hamburgers? Yeah, that sounds pretty good. But where to get some?'_

He felt a familiar presence nearby him, and he glanced behind him. And there she was, in normal attire, consisting of blue jeans and a black leather jacket. Karai.

'_She couldn't be still following or at least looking for me could she?' _Leo wondered. '_No, her head's down. And is that...despair I'm feeling?' _

Leo glanced ahead, keeping his eyes off of her. Yet he could still feel her behind him. Then, her presence shifted, and she went to her right. Apparently Karai was crossing the street for some reason. However, she lifted her head as she was in the middle of the street, and her eyes locked with Leo's own.

Some sort of realization, or at least something, came over the girl, as Karai was frozen in the street. And she didn't notice the oncoming bus speeding towards her. It took her a second to see the impending doom, and couldn't avoid it in time. She closed her eyes in fear.

"LOOK OUT!"

With astonishing speed, Leo shoved her out of the way, just as the bus went speeding by. Everything just happened so quickly that Karai could barely register what had occurred. Currently, she was on the ground, feeling the pavement beneath her. She groaned in pain, finally opening her eyes, which were in shock.

On top of her was a young boy, probably somewhere in his middle teens. He had spiky blonde hair, with side bangs just like hers. The boy wore blue sweatpants and a white hoodie with green trimmings along the arms. But the most noticeable feature was his eyes, which are cobalt blue.

Now noticing the position he was in, Leo quickly got off of Karai. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded, having no words. And even if she did have any, the boy didn't give her a chance to speak again.

"Why the heck were you in the middle of the street?!" he had to ask, getting up. "You were about to be hit by a bus!"

Karai still was silent, getting up from the ground as well. She brushed herself off, then proceeded to look at the boy. Then she saw something behind him. Was that a bag from the Nintendo store? And that box inside...was that…?

"I didn't think turtles could afford video games," she replied in a snarky way.

Leo's eyes widened at her statement. She knew it was him. How she had known was something that really astonished the jinchuriki. He sighed, trying to calm himself down, but Leo decided to play along, picking up his bag.

"You sure you didn't hit your head or something?" he asked her.

By the look on Karai's face, Leo had successfully caught her off guard. Perhaps he somehow convinced her that he wasn't Leonardo. But of course, why else would she think that this boy was him to begin with? Unless Shredder had already told her about his shape-shifting abilities.

"I'm fine," she whispered, then proceeded to walk away from him.

At first, Leonardo wanted to go after her, but he stopped for a moment. Karai was part of the Foot Clan, his sworn enemy. If he did try to go after her, there was a slight chance that he could prove her suspicions about him correct this time. Then again, why else would Karai stop in the street if she didn't know it was him?

Despite his thoughts to not go after her, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. A sense of familiarity in Karai. Yet he couldn't place where it was coming from or why he had felt this way to begin with. Leonardo hesitated for a moment, pondering what to do.

"**Well, are you going to stop your internal bickering or not?"**

And so, he decided to follow her. He masked his presence slightly, careful to not attract her attention to him. Yet after a couple blocks of just not going anywhere, finally getting out of downtown and into the area Leo was oh so familiar with, and deciding to go into a back alleyway, Leo decided to approach her.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked, coming from behind her.

Karai turned around, slightly stunned that he had followed her. She hadn't expected him to follow. Not only that, but she was surprised that out of millions of people, he was able to successfully track her movements. Yet Karai gave him the cold shoulder.

"I'm fine," she protested.

"Why did you stop in the middle of the street?" Leo questioned. "And why were you staring at me?"

That definitely caught her attention. Karai didn't expect him to say how she had looked at him with some sort of stunned look of perception.

"I just…" she trailed off. "I'm...looking for someone."

It was an honest answer, he realized. There was no sense of deception in her voice or in her emotions. Had she really come all this way, or rather tracked him all this way, just to find him? Wouldn't she have thought it was odd for him to head into this area of the city, especially with his normal appearance?

"Do I look like him or something?" Leo said.

"No," Karai answered quickly.

"Then what does he look like? I could help you find him if you want."

But she brushed him off quickly. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Clearly she was getting a little angrier by the minute. Karai just wanted to be left alone.

"That depends on what he looks like now," Leo told her. "I'm sure he's not that bad."

But the look on her face said otherwise. The jinchuriki sighed. On the other hand, Kurama was quite liking where this conversation was going. He seemed to be rather amused by it.

"**You are toying with her," **the fox stated, perking up.

'_I'm trying to keep my facade,' _was all Leonardo replied with. '_I don't exactly want her to find out that I can become human, you know!'_

The look of determination on his face somehow finally broke through to Karai, and she spoke. "His name is Leonardo," Karai began. "And he's a turtle."

To her surprise, the boy in front of her didn't laugh or call her crazy. Instead, he spoke of something else. "Ah, so he's like a Kappa then."

"You know what those are?"

He nodded. "I'm partially Japanese, you know."

Something seemed to flicker in her eyes, something that Leonardo almost missed. Was that the look that someone gave when they were up to something devious?

"Oh really?" Karai asked in a snide way.

"On my father's side," he commented. "I don't have a mother, so I probably got my looks from her."

He could just hear Kurama face palm loudly in the back of his mind, as well as the murmurs of curses and the occasional murmur of, "**Baka." **

Of course, he wasn't exactly related to Splinter to begin with. Even though the mutagen had made the turtles humanoid, there was no direct tie in their DNA to him. Donnie had even said so himself, after years of taking samples for their "yearly physicals" as he called them. So it was more of an adoptive type of relationship than one of blood, as it had been from the beginning.

Yet this seemed to strike an accord with Karai, and suddenly she felt empathy for him. Leo could sense this as well. Did that mean she didn't have a mother either? Of course, his mother was a non-mutant turtle, and to some degree he could say Tang Shen to an extent, but Leo never really had a mother. Or at least known one anyway.

"What's your name anyway?" Karai asked.

"Minato." _**(3!)**_

And he received a punch, sending him into the brick wall of a building in the alleyway.

Thankfully, even though he was clearly human at the time, Leo had great durability, as well as the fact that Kurama healed him. He clenched his head, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he stood up. Leo realized that Karai was chuckling in amusement.

"What was that for!?" Leo yelled.

"You couldn't pick a better name than that?" she answered snidely, chuckling to herself.

And it was then that he realized that his efforts were for absolutely nothing. Leo groaned in realization, knowing exactly what she meant.

"How long did it take you?"

"Right before the bus was about to hit me."

"Of course…" he signed, falling to his knees in defeat. "And today was going so well…"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" she asked.

"Well…" Leo trailed off, not really wanting to reveal Kurama's identity. "Yes and no. I just...sometimes people don't ever listen to me."

"I'll listen," Karai began. "When you beg for your life." As the kunoichi said this, she pulled out her blade.

Red chakra formed on Leo's back, and his katanas soon appeared strapped onto his body, just like they were in his normal turtle form. He pulled out the nearest one with his right hand. Truth be told, Leo could fight like he usually could in his human form as well.

"Let's see how well you do against someone who can see," Leo told her.

"Let's see how well you do against someone who's better than you," Karai retaliated.

"Oh really? How well will you do against the one who pinned you earlier with his eyes closed?"

"I didn't think you would be able to get back at me like that," she mentioned. "You might actually be interesting…"

"Really now? To tell you the truth, I'm full of surprises."

"**Don't get cocky," **Kurama sneered. "**Otherwise I'm forcing you into a room with your new girlfriend."**

'_SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!'_

The two ninjas kneeled down on one knee in front of each other, sword in their right hands. Mirroring each other, both got up and lifted their weapons. Each human glared at the other, smirks forming on their faces. Their fingers gripped their swords tighter. Feet moving in synchronization, getting into position.

_**(4) **_And Karai struck forward first.

She lunged for his body, but he was able to block her attack with his katana. Despite being in his current human form, Leo had a lot of strength and was able to push her back. He swung forward, but Karai dodged it easily by jumping into the air. Once the kunoichi landed on the ground, she struck at the blonde-haired boy. Yet Leo was quick in his reflexes, and lifted his sword up.

A block, and another block. Ducking low to avoid a swing, Leo felt the wind of it blow through his spiky hair. Again, he blocked her oncoming attack. Finally, Karai lifted her sword up and swung down, which he was narrowly able to block.

"Juji-Ken," he commented. "Interesting…"

"**Take up the offensive approach."**

Leo did just that, holding his katana behind him as he ran towards her, blade laced with chakra. His first strike was blocked, yet this didn't stop him at all, as the human swung downward. Karai barely avoided the attack, as well as the next one which nearly took her head off. The jinchuriki didn't let up, and he swung his katana forward. At the last moment, Karai jumped in the air, avoiding his attack all together. She did a back flip in midair and landed away from him.

"Kocho-Giri," she noted. "Predictable."

Their blades clashed multiple times, each blocking the other's advance. Soon, both ninja were in a standstill, and they each did a semicircle around the one in front of them, blades locked. It was then that Karai noticed that her blade was beginning to burn from something within Leonardo's katana.

"That's an interesting technique," Karai commented. "You don't suppose you could teach me how to do it, would you?" Her last remark was in a snide manner.

"Let's just say it's something only I can do," he replied, and proceeded to push her back.

He kept up his attacks, his swings precise and accurate. Yet she just managed to avoid and block them all. Of course, Leo was holding slightly. She was with Shredder, and if she got wind of his true abilities and strength, there was no doubt that Karai would inform the head of the Foot Clan.

"You're good," she stated. "No wonder we haven't wiped you out yet."

Leo scoffed lightly. "It's not like Shredder hasn't been trying," he answered.

"I know," Karai exclaimed, somewhat agreeing with him. "That's all he ever talks about. Revenge, revenge, vendetta, vendetta."

"Really? You don't seem to like it that much," Leo took note of that. He was slightly surprised that she would say something like that.

"No, I'm fine with it. I'm just saying, he needs a hobby." Karai looked over to the side, and saw the bag of things Leo had bought earlier. "Maybe he could learn a few pointers from you. Of course he'd probably have to steal your stuff first since he's not the type of person to go out shopping."

This seemed to tick Leo off slightly, but he still joked about it. "For your information, I _work, _and I _paid _for that stuff. So he'll just have to try to take it from me."

"Hee-ya!" Karai yelled, heading straight for Leo.

Thankfully he blocked her attack just in time. Their swords clashed yet again, constantly at odds with each other. She glanced at him for a moment, seemingly finding an opening. Karai struck forward again, and Leo managed to let her sword slide off of his. However, the kunoichi managed to kick the blonde haired teen away.

'_Dang, she's pretty good,' _he thought. '_I'm going to have to step up my pressure on her if I'm going to win.'_

Her sword met his, and she kicked his leg, causing him to tumble. But he flipped around and picked himself up, just as he was kicked in the face. A few drops of blood escaped his mouth, which he promptly wiped away.

"Not bad, but I've seen better," she commended him.

"Heh, with one blade maybe," Leo answered her, and pulled out his other katana. "Not with two. And they can burn your blade as well."

Karai sent a smirk his way, knowing that as the fight went on, it was getting even more interesting. And so, the two raced towards each other, as their blades clashed once more. She then leapt away from him, which led to the boy chasing after her. Blows were blocked. Strikes were stopped. It had seemed like they were evenly matched.

Leonardo took the offensive, swinging his katana towards Karai, but every time, she seemed to have blocked or at least dodged his attacks. The kunoichi jumped up, getting onto the fire escape above them. He jumped as well, also landing on the fire escape. The two were opposite each other, only being separated by a set of metal stairs.

"I have a question for you," Leo began.

"Oh? And what makes you think I'll answer that question?" she asked.

"Even though I pinned you on the rooftop, you were in a position to kill me. So why didn't you?"

It didn't take her long to answer the question, which slightly surprised him. "Because you're the first thing in this city that doesn't bore me."

"Well, it's nice to know that I'm appreciated by someone at least," he commented dryly.

Karai swiftly brought out some shurikens, and threw them his way. Leo blocked them with his katana, but that gave Karai just enough time to swing around the set of stairs and kick him in the face. Thankfully, he lessened the damage of the blow with his left arm.

"Besides, I don't think you're as good as you pretend to be," she stated.

In a second, their blades collided. Yet she was able to hold his katana back, and able to cross her blade over his throat. The chakra dissipated from his blade.

"Don't tell me the goody three-toes thing doesn't wear thin after a while," Karai said.

"Better than the alternative," Leo answered. He winced slightly, feeling a little bit of blood trickle down from his neck. _**(4)**_

"Which is what?" she asked, tightening her hold. "To have fun? To cut loose? To live your own life? I highly doubt your family just let you go out on your own tonight, all alone. And you went downtown as well. Do they even know about this?"

Leo's emotions began to rise. His eyes widened as she spoke those words. It was something that he always wanted. The ability to live how he chose. Being able to train as a shinobi with his strength and talents without the worry of being discovered. Actually living every day of his life minus the self doubt and worry he had always imposed on himself. And most of all, not having to deal with his family.

Suddenly, a familiar feeling rushed over his mind, and he let himself go, dragging Karai along with him. It probably wasn't the best choice he could make. After all, why would he ever tell the enemy about why he was like this? Yet for some reason, Leo felt some sort of feeling that he could trust her.

And so, he let Karai into his mindscape.

_**(5) **_He felt the well known chill of the cave that was in his mind wash over him, taking slight comfort from it. The sound of water dripping into the pool at the center, the moon's light shining down on him through the top of the cave. All of it made him feel slightly better about the situation.

Karai soon appeared behind him, but he didn't bother to turn around. The kunoichi however, was extremely stunned as to where they were. And more importantly, how exactly they got there. What Karai was seeing was vastly different from where they fought. This was a cave, a giant one in fact, with stone cold walls and a small body of water was at its center. And were those...iron bars over there?

"Where-" she began but was soon cut off.

"**His mind, baka." **

That voice...whoever it was terrified her to the very depths of her soul. She felt drawn to the iron bars, curious to see what lay beyond it. Leo could sense Karai's curiosity, but chose not to stop her from where she was going.

Yet this voice seemed to have puzzled the kunoichi. Was what it said really true? If that was the case, then she was in Leonardo's mind. But that was impossible. No one could do that! It was unheard of!

Karai walked closer and closer to the cage, feeling a slight pressure increase in the atmosphere around her body. Or at least what she thought was her body. She found herself in front of the bars, with a noticeably larger one in the middle. Looking up, she noticed a piece of paper with japanese characters on it. "Eight Trigrams Seal" it said.

Then, something came up to the bars, and it was big. Karai could only stare as it came forward, the red eyes of the beast glowing fiercely. The thing in front of her was a large, possibly at least one hundred fifty feet tall, orange furred fox, with _nine _tails. A kitsune.

"**Why did you bring her here?" **he asked, directing the question towards Leonardo. To say Karai wasn't astonished was an understatement.

"I don't know," the jinchuriki answered. "I just...felt the need to, I guess."

The fox appeared to back off at this statement. Karai's eyes went between the giant kitsune and the boy. Silence seemed to plague the area for a few seconds. And then...

"No, they don't," Leo answered her previous question in a solemn tone. He sat down, his back to her. The jinchuriki stared into the pool of crystal clear water, his human reflection staring back at him.

"Hardly anyone knows about what I can do," he continued. "Only a few know about _this. _And I don't wish to tell my family about this at all. If I do...I'll probably be disowned and thrown out."

She stood still for a moment, shocked at what he said. Just a moment ago, Leonardo was able to retaliate back at her, able to deflect any sort of sneer or snide comment that was sent his way. Yet now, he seemed to be different. Sad, almost depressed even. Was this the actual Leonardo? Earlier, Karai had mentioned how he really wasn't always the goody two-shoes turtle. But this...this was almost unbelievable.

"So we're in your mind?" the kunoichi asked.

"Yes," Leo told her.

"And that thing is?" she gestured to the giant fox behind the bars.

"**Oi! Oi! That "thing" has a name," **said fox sneered at her.

"His name is Kurama," he began. "One of the nine Tailed Beasts. He's from another dimension. And...he's sealed inside of me."

This left her slightly confused. "Sealed inside of you?" Karai asked.

The blonde haired teen nodded, and lifted up his hoodie slightly. This revealed his lower stomach area, which looked far from normal. There was a counter-clockwise swirl-like mark in the center, with strange writing circling around it. It began to glow a light blue when Leo touched it, but slowly went away.

"This is the Eight Trigrams Seal," Leo explained, letting go of his white hoodie. "Fifteen years ago, an accident occurred that caused a distortion in space and time. Kurama was supposed to be sealed inside of someone else. But a gateway opened at the last moment in front of that person, and he was sent here, into our dimension. And because of that, he was sealed inside of me instead."

"Before I was mutated, my body was so weak that I was sickly and could barely do anything. But when my brothers and myself were mutated, as well as when Kurama entered my body, I nearly died…"

He heard Karai's breath hitch slightly, but Leo continued. "My heart almost gave out from all the pressure one night. But then…"

Leo couldn't really remember that night, after all he was only nine months old at the time. But there were some vague images in his mind. A giant orange line touching the stomach area of his shell. A red aura flowing into him. Feeling so much better than he was before. It had been the kitsune all along.

"Kurama saved my life. It wasn't until I was ten that I found out about who healed me that time. And I've been indebted to him ever since. A few months ago, I began my training to become a full fledged shinobi outside the city. One, like in Kurama's dimension, can harness the power of chakra. I want to get stronger, and hopefully release Kurama so he is able to go home."

"However, what do you think would happen if my family found out about any of this? Shredder already calls me a demon. How would they react after keeping this a secret for five years? Kitsunes are considered demons and evil, but it's not true for Kurama. What would they do? Disown me? Kick me out? Call me...a demon?"

Karai heard Leo choke at the last part. She had listened to everything he told her, and she was still overcoming the initial shock of it. The night her father came home from trying to dispatch the turtles was horrifying. He was _afraid_, an emotion she had never seen come from Shredder. There was that look in her father's eyes, as if he had seen something terrifying.

That knowledge stayed with her when she spied on them a few hours earlier. The four were in a group, with Leonardo and Raphael fighting. And Karai had seen how it ended. Even worse, she saw him break down on the rooftops. It was then that what her father had said about him wasn't exactly true. Leonardo wasn't a demon. Rather, he was something that didn't bore her. He was unique.

"I hate to ask you, but why did you bring me here?" Karai questioned. "Why would you bring your enemy into your mind?"

Leo sat up and looked to the kunoichi, fierce blue eyes setting off an imposing gaze. "Because I feel that I can trust you."

"And what is that supposed to mean? I just tried to decapitate you."

"Your emotions," Leo stated simply. "When Kurama was sealed within me, I gained the ability to sense emotions. While I can't read minds, I know what others are feeling. For instance, right now you're confused, shocked, not exactly sure what to do now that I've said all of this."

Her widened eyes showed that what he said was true. He continued. "Previously, you didn't have any malicious intent in you when we fought, both times I may add. While you are in an enemy clan, you didn't attempt to kill me either. And, you have a sense of familiarity around you for some reason. That is why I somewhat trust you. Of course, if you ever encounter my family, they might say otherwise…"

"**Baka, there you go again on what others think. At least have some self-confidence."**

Both turned to the giant nine-tailed fox behind the bars. There was a sinister smirk on his face, one which Leo was all too familiar with. Karai was a little intimidated by Kurama, but chose to ask about something.

"And you're okay with this?" she commented dryly.

The fox's expression changed slightly, one with a more annoyed approach. He scoffed. "**Heh, he would've killed you if he wasn't."**

"I'd like to see him try."

"**Humans like you never learn. Haven't you noticed that Leonardo has been holding back against you, brat? The chakra-lined sword was only the beginning."**

The look the fox showed towards Karai said it all. He was serious. A sudden ominous pressure increased in the area around her, and she started to look in the direction of Leonardo. What she saw was terrifying. The pressure was indeed coming from him. The blonde-haired teen had red eyes at the moment, with whisker-like marks on his face. His teeth appeared to be sharper, like fangs.

To say Karai wasn't afraid was an understatement. Oh, she was horrified.

Leo stopped the pressure from his killing intent, his facial features returning to normal. He walked towards her, a serious look plaguing him at the moment.

"Why did you hold back?" Karai had to ask.

"Because...because I don't want to be seen as a monster," was all he said. "Shredder already considers me a demon. Do I want that reputation to continue further than that?"

He walked through the iron bars, and sat down next to Kurama. "It's something that I don't like thinking about. Being considered a demon. That's why I don't like revealing my true abilities to anyone…"

Leo closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll take you back now." _**(5!)**_

And as soon as they had appeared in his mind, both kunoichi and jinchuriki had returned to the real world. Karai blinked her eyes a couple times, and realized she was on the fire escape that she was fighting Leo on earlier. She turned her head, only to see the blonde teen next to her.

"You just keep getting more interesting the more I fight you," she commented. "Fine, I promise that I won't tell anyone about what happened, okay? I give you my honor. After all, I don't want to lose the only one who doesn't bore me in this city."

Karai took out her sword again, and pointed it at a certain building. "You see that high-rise?"

He looked over at the tall building. The Byerly Building. "Yeah."

"Meet me there at midnight," she answered, putting away her sword.

"Why?"

"I want to show you something, fox-boy."

She jumped onto the next level of the fire escape and onto the building next to it. And she was gone. Leaving a very embarrassed Leonardo behind.

'_FOX-BOY?!'_

* * *

_An hour later…_

_**(6) **_Keeping his promise, the jinchuriki, now in his normal turtle form, was now waiting at the top of the Byerly Building. He was a little bit early to say the least, but that gave him some time to think the whole situation over. By this point, Leo had already sent his bag of stuff to Talbot Peak, where his other living needs were.

At the moment, he was currently pacing back and forth on the roof. Earlier, he had pondered about whether or not to go to April's to get some advice from her, but that wouldn't help much. Besides, if his brothers asked about where he was and what he was doing, no doubt they would come after him.

Something was bothering Leonardo, and Kurama knew it. "**Your pacing is irritating me," **the fox complained. "**Come on, let it out. What's on your mind?"**

'_I'm just thinking…' _Leo answered. '_About Karai…'_

"**Oooohh, your new girlfriend is taking up your thoughts?"**

"_NO! I just...I don't know. Something's not right. She feels familiar somehow. I had the same feeling with April when we first saw her, but it's different this time. It's like Karai's aura is similar to...Splinter.'_

'_But that can't be right. She's in the Foot Clan. Karai couldn't be related to Splinter at all. And yet…'_

He felt her presence on the rooftop. Turning around, Leo saw the kunoichi facing towards him, now in her normal fighting attire instead of the clothes she wore earlier. However, the jinchuriki could sense something different about her at the moment. Karai's emotions seemed to be different than before.

'_She's...conflicted about something. But what?'_

"I'm surprised you were here before me," Karai spoke first. "Though I probably shouldn't be."

His facial features remained serious and unchanging as he answered her. "So what exactly did you want to show me?"

In an instant, she threw some binoculars his way. Leo caught them fast, knowing that they were coming at him. He silently questioned as to why she would give him these, but he saw her pointing at a building.

"That," she said.

Leo looked through binoculars in the direction she was referring to. It appeared to be some sort of private apartment, with traditional japanese art on the walls. And there in the center, on a stand, was an ancient sword.

"That's... the sword of Miyamoto Musashi…" he gasped, putting down the binoculars and kneeling on the rooftop.

"The greatest swordsman in the history of Japan," Karai commented. "It's ancient. It's priceless. And it's yours...if you help me."

His eyes widened and he looked at her as if she was kidding. "You don't mean-"

"Yeah, we're gonna steal it," she answered.

"A low growl escaped his throat, and he turned away from her. "You know I can't do that right?" Leo sneered. "I'm a shinobi, not a thief."

"Come on, that sword is just sitting there, collecting dust," Karai explained. "You know you deserve that katana. Certainly more than some lazy rich guy."

She moved closer to him until the kunoichi was kneeling down next to him. "Stop being responsible, Leo. Stop waiting for people to give you the life you want. Go out and take it."

He really didn't like where this was going. And it was becoming unusual that she would push him like this. Especially when Karai knew what he was somewhat capable of. She didn't know the full extent, but there was enough knowledge there to fear the abilities he possessed.

And then it dawned upon him that he had felt her conflicted feelings before. This was a facade, wasn't it? Leo could feel it.

"Karai, you know who I am," he stated. "As a shinobi, I have a code of honor that I must follow. And that includes respecting the dead. It would be disrespectful to not only Miyamoto Musashi, but to myself for using a sword of that caliber."

"Also, you have to take into consideration how I fight. While I usually only fight with my katana, if it were a more serious fight, my weapons would be put away and I would use jutsu instead. Really it depends on the fight, but if my opponent is that powerful, I have to rely on my stronger abilities than the ones that I usually show. I rely on speed in a tight situation. Also, what am I going to do with three swords anyway? Become the next Roronoa Zoro?"

"**Shut up with your lackluster comparisons," **Kurama interrupted, clearly annoyed.

He looked over at her, and just as he suspected, Karai was slightly shocked. Leo sighed, having a feeling earlier that this was going to be a ruse. And he had an idea as to why.

"Shredder ordered you to kill me, didn't he?"

Yet again, Leo felt the astonishment from her emotions. "And if he did?" she inquired.

"I know you wouldn't set up something like this unless he told you to kill me," Leo began. "After all, I just showed you what I'm capable of. Not to mention that you know what would happen if I stole that blade. What if my family discovered it? What would happen then? You like to play around with your opponent, but to have them actually go through with something isn't your style."

Karai was at a loss for words. She hesitantly reached for her sword. "You figured it out quickly," she noted.

"Yet you don't want to kill me either," he said.

"No, I will," Karai smirked, fully taking out her blade. "I'm just glad that I got to enjoy my evening."

"If you call almost getting hit by a bus and me having to save you, sure," he replied, pulling out his katana as well. "But yeah, I needed the day off. And Karai?"

"What?"

"Thanks for at least trying to give me a chance at my own life."

Just as they did before, both ninja kneeled and got into stances. Then they charged at each other, blades clashing. Leo smirked as well, and decided to tell the kunoichi a little important tidbit of information.

"Oh by the way," he said. "If you actually succeed in killing me, just to let you know, don't be surprised if a giant, nine-tailed fox comes out of my body and unleashes his wrath upon the city, because that will happen if I ever die."

"Wait, what-"

But at that moment, Leonardo sensed a familiar presence behind him running towards them. His eyes widened, questioning how this someone was able to find him.

"Leo!" It was Raphael. "Wha-what are you doing?! Who's she?!"

'_How the heck did he find me?!' _

"**Did you leave your phone on?"**

Sure enough, the jinchuriki had forgotten to turn his T-Phone off. Donnie had installed tracking devices designed for an occasion just like this one. That was why he kept it off half the time. However, after the entire ordeal with Raph earlier, he didn't expect anyone in his family to come after him.

'_Ugggh, of all the times I forget to turn it off…'_

How exactly was he going to explain this? At first glance, his younger brother probably already knew who she was just by the clothes. Heck, how was he going to explain where he was for the past two hours?!

"Umm...Raph, Karai. Karai, Raph. Also, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now, so could you come back later?"

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to go over well with his red masked brother, as the turtle only seemed to get angrier with him. "Well don't mind me getting in your way with your playtime with the Foot. We're out there risking our necks while you've been gone for two hours doing who knows what!"

Leo could sense the anger radiating from his brother, but was that also a hint of worry in there as well? '_Something must have happened, otherwise he wouldn't have come after me like this.'_

"**Heh. Looks like he actually learned of your stress."**

'_Wouldn't that be a miracle.'_

"I can explain," Leo began.

"This should be entertaining," Karai said off to the side.

It was then that the blue masked turtle noticed some weird yellow powder flying off of the back of his brother's shell. "Raph, what exactly is that on your shell?"

"What the heck?" Raph questioned, now rubbing off the powder with his hand. "Must've come from that fight with Snakeweed. Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?!" the jinchuriki exclaimed. "You fought Snakeweed again?! What happened?!"

This was spiraling out of control, and Karai could tell. No wonder Leonardo had said earlier how he had wanted his own life. The whole argument from two hours ago also supported her point. How hard was his family on him exactly? _**(6!)**_

However, just as the two turtles were arguing, the sound was hissing and growling was heard, and the giant plant mutant rose up to meet the three. Apparently whatever was on Raph's shell was meant to be some sort of tracking system for Snakeweed. And the plant mutant was mad, very mad.

"I found you, turtles," he growled.

"Oh, thank goodness," Leo sighed, the argument between him and his brother ending.

_**(7) **_Nevertheless, there was a threat in front of them, so he stood forward, turning away from Karai. The kunoichi did the same, as both faced the plant mutant. Snakeweed attacked first, as one of his vines swept along the rooftop. Thankfully, the three jumped up before it could trip them.

Raph and Leo ran off to the side, then stopped. "All is forgiven, you're the leader again. Welcome back," the red masked turtle said in a hurry, as the two ducked when Snakeweed whipped his claw across.

"**Congratulations on obtaining your position again?" **

'_He gave it up quickly. That means that something occurred that he finally sees the amount of stress it gives me. But what? I'll have to ask him later.'_

They jumped away before Snakeweed could stomp on them. Leo swung down, cutting another vine, and another one after that. Pink fluid flowed out of them, but the turtle avoided it before any could get on him. Yet, another vine came at him, and he jumped out of the way in time.

Leo then set his eyes on Karai, who just stood off to the side and was smirking at him. His eyes glared at her, angry for not doing anything, But before Leo could call her out, one of Snakeweed's vines wrapped around his wrist which had spines. They dug into his wrist, causing him pain. He raised his hand, katana held in it, and tried to cut it. However he was thrown to the side, and Leo's blade went flying off the building.

The turtle got thrown to the ground, sliding across the rooftop on his shell. He picked himself up, and got on his hands and knees. Yet Snakeweed was fast, and the same vine with spines on it wrapped around his shell, trying to pull him in. He grabbed the edge of the doorway that led into the building and clung to it for dear life.

Now looking over to his side, Leo saw Raph hanging upside down by another vine. Below the red masked turtle was one of the plant mutant's claws. And he was holding it open so that it wouldn't close on him.

He closed his eyes, knowing that Karai wasn't going to help one bit. '_Kurama, I'm going to burn through the vine with your chakra. Sorry about this.'_

Red chakra began to form around his shell. But before he could progress any further, he heard the slight whistle of something flying through the wind. Thinking fast, Leo ducked his head, as something stuck itself into the wall above him. The turtle opened his eyes, only to see a sword above him.

'_Wait a sec, isn't that...Karai's sword?'_

Just as he thought, the kunochi's throwing posture was a huge giveaway as to where the sword came from. But why would she do such a thing? A few minutes ago, she just stood there, doing nothing but watch. Now Karai had decided to help him?

"Sayonara, fox-boy," she smirked, and jumped off the roof, disappearing from sight.

'_AGAIN WITH THE FOX-BOY?!'_

Yet this gave him a little hint as to why she helped him. It was most likely that when Karai saw his chakra flowing out from his body, she decided to throw her sword. Was she actually keeping her promise? Leo hoped so.

Nevertheless, it was a method of escape. So he let go of the door edge, and grabbed the sword. Snakeweed was pulling with just enough force to unwedge the weapon. Leo was launched towards the plant mutant, so he twisted and spun with the blade in his hand, cutting the vine as if it were nothing. He did a flip in the air, and kicked both feet forward, managing to stun the plant mutant and let go of Raph.

"Raph, follow me. I've got an idea," he yelled, running to the edge of the building.

"You're the boss," his brother answered, following him.

'_Wow, the world must've ended or something like that. I'm not dead, am I?'_

"**No, otherwise I would've been out of here."**

'_Nevermind…'_

Both turtles jumped onto the fire escape on the side of the building, climbing down and onto the ground. Across the street was a storage area with the logo of "Chilly Chillkins" on it. And in front of the doorway, was a bunch of light blue liquid nitrogen tanks.

Before anything else could occur, Snakeweed jumped down in front of them, and pushed both turtles back with his claws. The back of their shells hit the wall, and they fell to the ground.

"Now what?" Raph asked.

"We charge him," Leo stated, standing up.

"Really?" his brother asked, somewhat astonished that it was a plan that was that simple.

"Trust me, let's move."

Leo dodged an incoming claw from Snakeweed and charged forward. Another attack came towards him, and he dodged to the right. Snakeweed kept up the pressure, as he threw his vines towards Leo. But the turtle jumped, twisting in midair as he avoided them.

He jumped up, twisting and landing a kick from his left leg on Snakeweed's heart. The plant mutant staggered back, stunned for a moment. Raph began to distract him as Leo ran to grab one of the liquid nitrogen tanks. The red masked turtle avoided a downward attack from Snakeweed's claws, as well as multiple vine slashes. But he managed to get his sai in one vine, which lifted him up into the air. As Raph came down, he used his right leg to kick the plant mutant, causing him to fall near Leonardo.

A tank of liquid nitrogen hit Snakeweed in the face, yet this barely fazed him. Leo charged forward, with another tank in his hands, but was stopped by an oncoming vine and thrown into the other light blue tanks. Before Snakeweed could do anymore, Raph came up behind the plant mutant and latched onto him. Yet his efforts were meaningless, as a vine wrapped around the red masked turtle and pinned him to the ground.

'_Come on! I need an opening!' _Leo thought.

Once again, Leo ran forward with a tank in his hands. And once again easily stopped by another vine. Snakeweed grabbed a majority of the tanks, but still left one for the turtle to grab onto. He held it behind his back as a vine latched onto his neck and lifted him up. Leo glared at the plant mutant, but finally saw the opening he was looking for. And he shoved the tank into Snakeweed's mouth, kicking it with his right leg just so it would stay in.

This caused him to be dropped onto the ground. "Raph," he yelled, as said brother was released from the vine holding him down. "Now!"

Raph glared and got up. He twisted around, and let go of one of his sais. The weapon flew until it hit the liquid nitrogen tank. In result, it exploded, and caused Snakeweed's body to freeze entirely. Raph took the chance that was given to him, and jumped up, using the now frozen plant mutant as a step stool to reach higher. Gravity took him downwards, his sai was pointed down as well.

"Booyakasha!" the red masked turtle yelled.

Like thin ice, Snakeweed's body shattered into a million pieces when it made contact with Raph's weapon. And that was the end of their fight, as whatever was left of the plant mutant was in frozen bits all over the ground. Leonardo ran up to his brother, and both turtles shared the same look of relief.

"Nice work," Raph commented.

"Thanks," Leo answered. '_I guess...I really didn't do much.'_

"And uh…" his brother trailed off, turning away. "Sorry…" he whispered.

Not wanting to get Raph angry from how quiet his apology was, Leo just accepted it. "Apology accepted. Let's go home."

* * *

On the way home, Raph had filled in Leo on what had occurred while he was gone for two hours. And unfortunately it wasn't good. His three brothers had ended up going into Snakeweed's lair without him, and Mikey had gotten hurt.

As they got home, the blue masked turtle saw the extent of what happened to his youngest brother. The most Mikey probably had was a concussion, but was for some reason knocked out. Most likely faking it. So in order to get him to "wake up," Leo took a slice of pizza out of the refrigerator and warmed it up. Finally, he placed it in front of Mikey's face.

The orange masked turtle sniffed it, eyes opening and mouth turning into a smirk. "Mmmm, pepperoni…" he said.

"Works every time," Leo stated with a smirk on his face, knowing his brother was alright.

But before Mikey could grab the pizza, Raph caught onto him. "Mikey!" he exclaimed, shaking him back and forth. "Don't scare me like that, buddy! I thought we lost you!" Raph hugged his brother.

Yet this seemed to not even faze the orange mask turtle. "Dudes, I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt the stuff in the sewer was made out of-"

"Eh forget about it Mikey. It was just a dream," Donnie cut him off before he could go further, as well as putting up a finger in front of his mouth, signalling to not say anything.

"Oh." He took the slice of pizza from Leo and began to eat it.

It was then that Raph pulled the jinchuriki to the side, no doubt wanting an explanation. He was surprised that he was leaving Donnie and Mikey out of it, but he supposed this was fine.

"So, what's with the girl who tried to kill you?" Raph asked. "And why the heck did she call you, 'Fox-boy?'"

Leo sighed. '_Of course he heard that.'_

"Long story," was all he said. "And she didn't try to kill me. The only reason she threw that blade at me was to help us."

"She threw a knife at your head," Raph persistented, not liking the fact that his brother was slightly liking the enemy for that reason.

"She threw a knife _near _my head, thus allowing us to escape." Leo held up the blade.

"She's in the Foot Clan."

And thus, Leo's anger was rising to the point where he just wanted to be on his own. So he did, as he walked away from Raph, ignoring the slight anger radiating from his brother since the conversation wasn't finished. With that, Leo closed the door to his room and flopped onto the bed.

'_Ohhh what a day...what a day…'_

"**You'll probably see her again," **Kurama noted.

'_Won't be surprised. But still, I have so many questions as to why she decided to throw her blade at me, her only blade too.'_

"**Rest for now, then we'll get back to that topic about your new girlfriend another time."**

'_Hey! She's not my girlfriend! I don't even like her!'_

"**Fine, I'll stop. Not like you enjoyed my humor anyway. At least it's better than yours."**

'_SHUT UP!'_

Thus, the turtle closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 10!**

**This one was a little hard to write, as about half of it is non-canon. But this episode is one of my favorites. A few things I cut out from it, such as Leo visiting April and him going back to the lair. Why would he when he has Kurama for advice? (probably not the best advice giver but still XD)**

**Also, in regards to shipping in the story. Karai and Leo won't be shipped. Not that I don't like the ship, it just feels out of place for what I have planned. But they'll have their moments. I really like the fox-boy thing I added.**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you enjoy the story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	12. Ch 11 Imbalance of Minds

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 11! Yee! Never thought I would make it this far!**

**Thank you to all of those who reviewed, favorited and followed this story! It really means a lot!**

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Gekiha (Crushing) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2**_

_**(2) Kokon Musou (Unparalleled Throughout History) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(3) Ressei (Bad Situation) - Naruto OST 1**_

_**(4) Ofukaze Mode (Fooling Mode) - Naruto OST 1**_

_**(5) Kaii (Strangeness) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(6) Shippuden - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(7) Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox) - Naruto OST 1**_

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT**

**Chapter 11**

**Imbalance of Minds**

_**(1) **_"Again!" the deer god commanded.

Just as he said that, about twenty lions, all dressed in jounin vests, blue pants, wearing blue banded forehead protectors with the kanji for "lion," and holding many kunai, appeared before Shishigami. Just as soon as they appeared, all of them ran swiftly towards the humanoid deer, red chakra flaring up. Off to the side, a giant, orange furred, nine-tailed fox watched the fight.

One came at Shishigami after it leapt into the air, but was quickly defeated and burst into smoke as a swift arm jab landed into its stomach. Three more came at him, and he dodged an incoming kunai that was meant for his face by ducking. Shishigami jabbed that one in the stomach as well, and it disappeared.

While he was distracted, more lions came up behind him, trying to set up a sneak attack. Yet Shishigami sensed them easily, even though they hid their chakra so well. With one swift back kick, he sent three of them bursting into smoke.

One by one, the deer god kept up with the pace, not even letting in a single hit. Dodging yet another kunai. Stopping a fist fueled by tailed beast chakra. His attacker was becoming very skilled, this Shishigami knew. The strikes were quick and calculated, and it almost surprised him when a kick from one of the lions nearly got him.

'_He has improved significantly.'_

Soon however, there were only a few lions left. In a last stitch effort, the three attacked at the same time. Shishigami once again dodged another attack, yet they seemed to have learned from him by now. As he ducked to the left of a kick, a fist came towards him. As a last minute effort, the humanoid deer jumped up and attacked from above, delivering a kick from his right leg into the last three lions, turning them into smoke. That was when he was sure the fight was over.

But in the split second after his attack, something emerged from the smoke with great speed and stamina. This caught Shishigami off by surprise, and had absolutely no time to prepare. A chakra-enveloped fist met the deer god's face, and sent him flying, hitting the ground with a huge force. Of course, Shishigami was immortal, so this wouldn't affect him at all.

The smoke cleared, and one last humanoid lion wearing the same clothes as the previous ones appeared from within it. There was a slightly exhausted look on his face, as the amount of chakra he had used during this fight as well as the previous ones was a great amount. Turning to the giant orange furred fox, the lion immediately saw the shocked expression the tailed beast currently harbored.

"Well? Heh...how'd I do?" he asked.

"**You just punched a god in the face without getting punched back," **Kurama stated in astonishment. "**How do you think you did, baka?"**

Off to the side, Shishigami got up and walked over to them. To say that he wasn't surprised was an understatement. The speed at which the jinchuriki had traveled was much faster than usual. Perhaps his chakra reserves and his stamina were just that large.

Over the past few days, Leonardo had improved by a great amount. His use and remembrance of the hand seals for jutsu had increased dramatically. So much to the point where for some jutsu, Leo didn't even have to perform the hand seals (which said jinchuriki was very happy about, as he believed it slowed him down slightly).

It was such as a sight to see truthfully. Never before had a jinchuriki possessed this much ability, at least regarding the Nine-Tails. Mito Uzumaki, while a very strong kunoichi during her prime, did very little with the tailed beast inside of her. Kushina Uzumaki, the second jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, did very little in regards to Kurama, and was even terrified of him, hence the whole issue with the fox being staked to a moon inside her mindscape.

Leonardo however, was different, so much different in fact. He wasn't afraid nor scared of Kurama when they first met. In fact, it was almost as if he was very interested in the fox from the beginning they saw each other, which was surprising. Most jinchuriki wanted to either have nothing to do with their tailed beast, or to take advantage of their power.

Yet, there was an exception right in front of him. There was this odd feeling that the deer god felt about the jinchuriki right before his eyes. Never before had the deer of the Spirit Plane have a summoner, at least in three hundred years. Something was different, that was for sure, and he would find the answers he needed soon.

"You have improved significantly," Shishigami told Leonardo. "Your mastery over Shadow Clone Jutsu has increased from five to twenty in a matter of days. And, you managed to take advantage of the opening I made unintentionally and struck me. To say that I am impressed at your speed and agility is an understatement. You are quite the prodigy, Leonardo." _**(1!) **_

Said lion blushed at the praise he was given, but it was something that he truly earned. He henged out of that form and into his normal turtle form, bowing to his master in respect. Once Leo lifted his head, the deer god spoke again.

"That is all the training for today. I will let you return home and rest. The next time we meet, I will teach you how to deal with Genjutsu users. You have done well."

"Arigato, Shishigami-Sensei," the turtle thanked him.

And thus, both turtle and fox were whisked away from Talbot Peak, returning home. Leonardo opened his eyes, now seeing the familiar bedroom. He was currently in his bed, wanting to rest a little before heading out to see his family. But of course, life wouldn't make it that way.

There was a knock at his door, and Leo recognized the presence on the other side as Mikey. "Leooo! Master Splinter wants us in the dojo in five minutes!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" he yelled back, and he sensed Mikey walking away.

Good thing he decided to get rid of all the stuff and noise cancelling wall padding, otherwise if he hadn't, his brother could've barged in while he was gone. Leo yawned, deciding that it was probably a good time to get up. He walked over to the door and went out, heading towards the dojo.

It was not uncommon for him to come home from Shishigami's training sessions like this. Often, the deer god would keep him there all night, trying to get the most out of the training. Not that he didn't mind. Leo enjoyed the extra training. After all, it made him stronger.

As he entered the dojo, Leonardo could feel the three gazes from his brothers piercing into his soul. To them, it wasn't normal for their oldest brother to sleep in. Shishigami didn't take him away that often, but when he did, Leo mostly came back exhausted, and thus leaving his three brothers as to why he was so tired. To them, it wasn't like Leo to sleep in. After all, this was Mr. Perfect, Goody Three-Toes, who tried so hard to not have an error whatsoever.

Of course, Leo knew that was entirely false. He wasn't perfect, nor did he actually intend to be anything of the like. Leo just wanted to become stronger, a strong shinobi for that matter. And it obviously took a lot of practice and time in order to get there as well. Yet, there was no stopping how his brothers viewed him as perfect.

The jinchuriki noticed Splinter on the other side of the dojo, completely silent and still as he stood, facing away from the three other turtles. His eyes were closed, as if he were meditating or something of the like. Perhaps Master Splinter was trying to tone out the sounds around him. Either way, it was suspicious.

Leo got down on one knee next to Mikey. "Alright, what's going on?" he asked.

"Splinter wants us to spar with him," Raph stated, slightly annoyed.

And of course, Leo's eternal bad luck had kicked in.

'_Argh, figures. He just had to pick today, didn't he?'_

"**At least it's better than getting beaten up by a god."**

'_Still, I'm really exhausted. And I always have to hold back against him. If I don't, well…'_

Unfortunately for the turtle, he had gotten used to the world nearly being a blur around him as he traversed and fought at high speeds. Now, if he had a spar with his Sensei, everything just felt so...slow. And there was no doubt in his mind that he didn't like going slow at all.

"Okay, here's the plan," Leo started. "Donnie, you're going to strike first."

This seemed to get a shocked expression out of the purple masked turtle. "Wait, you want _me _to come at Splinter?! I'll get pummeled!"

"Well, getting pummeled is your specialty," Raph remarked, angering Donnie slightly.

"Trust me, it's all part of my plan to catch Splinter off guard," the jinchuriki reassured him.

"**You have no plan."**

'_I do have a plan actually! It just...hasn't come into my mind yet!'_

Leo heard the fox groan in disappointment. "**Is it to hide how tired and drained you are from getting pummeled by Shishigami?"**

'_Well, that's part of it I suppose. I'm going to have to push myself harder for this sparring session. Otherwise my exhaustion might show, and that's the last thing I want happening. But maybe...if I try to sneak up on him while he's distracted, then I might have a chance.'_

"Uh Leo," said turtle turned his head to see Mikey speaking. "Don't take this the wrong way, but against Splinter, your plans always get our butts whipped."

His eyes widened for a split second, but returned to normal quickly. '_I never thought I'd hear Mikey say that. Well then, change of plans…'_

"Okay, new thought. Mikey, you attack."

"**I like the way you think hehe."**

"He took it the wrong way," Mikey whispered to Donnie.

"Enough talk. Let's do this," Raph interrupted.

Leo nodded to the red masked turtle, and they stood up. The four turtles walked towards Splinter, whose ears twitched, sensing their movement. He turned around, and they had him surrounded. The rat master got into a stance, ready for any attack that would come his way.

As planned, Mikey moved first, ready to attack. The orange masked turtle jumped into the air, both feet aimed at Splinter who was currently looking away. But the rat master opened his eyes, sensing the youngest turtle come close to him. He grabbed both of Mikey's legs, swung him around, and threw him to the floor, kicking him away.

Raph came to attack next, jumping into the air and preparing a punch with his right fist. The other two turtles who were still standing also ran at Splinter, hoping to cause some sort of distraction. Splinter turned around in time just to avoid the punch, while also dodging Donnie who tried to kick him in the head.

'_This isn't working that well,' _Leo thought.

The blue masked turtle kicked in the air and spun, but yet again Splinter avoided it. This supposedly left an opening for Donnie, as he kicked with his right leg while Splinter had his back turned. Yet the rat master proved him wrong by grabbing his leg and sideswiping him. Donnie lost his footing and spun mid air, and was kicked back into Raph. Both turtles were sent flying.

"**Pick up the pace! Where was that speed you had earlier?! Or are you really that tired?"**

'_Don't...push me! I'm working on it!'_

He rolled onto the ground, avoiding a blow from Splinter. His reflexes immediately went into auto mode, and as soon as Leo saw an opening, he went for it. Leo punched forward with his left fist, and managed to hit Splinter in the face. But something caught his eye, and he saw the slight sizzle of heat coming from it. His eyes widened in fear.

He had hit his master with chakra.

Quickly, Leo backed away from Splinter. "Ah! S...Sensei I'm sorry! I..."

He was panicking on the inside, fear and horror rising within his system. Leo hadn't meant to do that at all. At the moment, he was tired, slightly ticked off because of the lack of energy in his system, and wanted to sleep desperately. His body just went into auto mode, and because of that, a little bit of chakra was released from his fist.

It was a promise to himself that he would never hurt any member of his family with his true strength. Yet here Leo was, breaking that promise, and had attacked his own father with the hidden strength that was always kept away. At this point, the turtle was silently praying that Splinter wouldn't notice it at all, and that he wasn't hurt in any way.

Yet to his surprise, the rat master turtle back to him, with an angered but also calm expression on his face. He went for Leonardo's arm, but the turtle was able to dodge it with ease by jumping farther away. He half expected his master to come after him, but Splinter spoke.

"Well done, Leonardo," he said. "But, just when you had the advantage, you hesitated. And that made you vulnerable."

Leo blinked in surprise, but he answered him. "H...hai, Sensei," he said warily.

"Now, that is all for today." Splinter walked away from them towards his private room. "Unless, you care for a rematch?"

"No thanks."

"I'm good."

"Yeah I think we're all set here."

The jinchuriki smirked slightly at his brothers' antics for trying to get training to end so quickly. In a way, it was a rather good thing that Splinter decided to end their training session. That way, he could at least get some rest.

He saw Splinter open and close the doors to his room. Soon after that, his three younger brothers came running at him, excitement written all over their faces.

"Leo!" Mikey exclaimed, an eager smile on his face.

"Not bad," Raph told him. He was surprised at that, since the red masked turtle hardly ever gave him praise.

"Dude, I can't believe you actually tagged Sensei!" Donnie was very astonished. "That was epic!"

Mikey grabbed his left hand as if it were an object of mystic power. "The hand that punched Splinter! You know you can never wash this again!"

He chuckled at that, then spoke. "We did a great job today. Our teamwork was great. We are definitely getting better."

In the back of his mind, he heard Kurama scoff. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the remark. Of course, that was somewhat of a lie. At the point the jinchuriki was at, he could learn more from Shishigami than Splinter. But at least his words could give some encouragement to his brothers.

"You think we might be catching up to Splinter?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah, maybe soon we won't need him to train us at all," Mikey said.

'_That day would be interesting. But I highly doubt that it will come anytime soon, if at all. There will probably be times when he says that he can always teach us something.'_

"I'm going to go rest," Leo stated, and began to walk away from them.

"Not sleep well or something?" he heard Raph speak behind him.

"Yeah...something like that," was all he could say, then proceeded to leave the dojo, leaving his brothers behind.

Leo just wanted to sleep. Training twelve hours with Shishigami was very taxing on his chakra, and it needed to be replenished quickly. Otherwise he would have more accidents like earlier. Opening the door to his room and closing it behind him, he got onto his bed and slept.

* * *

_**(2) **_"Leonardo."

There was something nudging for him to wake up. The turtle groaned and became complacent.

"Mmm...go away…" he moaned.

"Leonardo, you must wake up." The voice persisted still, and he was even more annoyed.

"Five more minutes…" he answered.

This time, Leo wasn't met with an answer, but rather a shove, and he was forced off the bed. He yelped in surprise as he hit the floor. Opening his eyes, the turtle sat up slightly, rubbing his head. Just who exactly would decide to enter his room without his permission, and…

Oh.

Turning around, he was met with the familiar sight of a humanoid deer at his bedside. As Leo was somewhat half asleep still, he failed to recognize entirely who it was.

"Oh, Shishigami, it's just you…" he whispered, and proceeded to lie down on the bed.

Only a few seconds later, his body sprung up in shock.

"SHISHIGAMI?!" he yelled, now fully awake. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Good to see that you are resting after our training earlier," the deer noted. He proceeded to sit on the turtle's bed. "I must apologize for my intrusion, but there is an urgent matter we must discuss."

Leo was slightly confused as to why the deer god would come all this way regarding a certain matter. He was a god, wasn't he? Surely he could handle any matter. Unless the blue masked turtle was heavily involved with this.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There is an imbalance."

"An imbalance?"

"Yes," Shishigami continued. "As you know, I am the god of Life, Death, and the Forest itself. Meaning that I am tied to many aspects of nature and the world. This includes animals, humans, etc. Humans however, and those like you, with you being an exception of course due to your abilities, rarely are ever able to see or sense my presence."

"Why is that?" Leo questioned.

"I do not like making myself known," Shishigami replied. "Yet the other reason is that they most often do not have a connection to the world around them. Nature itself in other words. Humans just do not possess such a characteristic."

"Normal animals however, are able to sense my presence and know exactly who I am, and thus they respect me. While some humans only believe I exist, animals know for a fact that I am real. And because of that, I have connections with the vast majority of animals around the world."

"So you came here because there's some sort of imbalance with animals in New York?" Leo asked.

"You catch on very quickly. Yes, that is why I came here."

"Then why did you come to me then?" _**(2!) **_

"Because…" Only, the deer god was cut off by a loud scream.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Leo's eyes widened in horror. He knew that voice all too well. It was his father, and it appeared that he was in great pain. He jumped out of the bed, opened the door, and rushed to the dojo, with Shishigami following behind. Leo saw his other brothers rushing to the dojo as well, so that meant he hadn't just imagined the scream either.

He was the first to arrive, and saw a sight he'd never dream of seeing. There was Splinter, kneeling on the floor in agony. Off to the side was one of his swords. Perhaps he was practicing katas or something of the like. Either way, Leo kneeled in front of his father. Mikey and Raph came in after, also coming around him.

"Sensei," Leo heard Donnie say as the purple masked turtle entered the dojo. His brother ran up beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine," the rat master answered, grabbing his head.

"**That's a lie," **Kurama pointed out. "**He screams out in pain and then says he's fine. Pathetic rat."**

"There is no doubt that he is in pain." Leo heard Shishigami behind him. The blue masked turtle sent a slight glance at the deer god's way.

"Do not worry, they cannot see nor hear me. Only you and Kurama have such an ability. And remember, I know of your thoughts as well. So there is no need to speak through words. Use your mind."

'_I don't understand,' _Leo thought, looking over the rat master. '_He didn't cut himself or drop the sword by accident. So what could've happened to him then?'_

"You sure you're alright, Sensei?" he asked. "You don't seem…"

Unfortunately, the blue masked turtle was cut off by the sound of birds chirping and a harp. He nearly rolled his eyes in annoyance, and he was pretty sure Kurama had done it for him. It was Donnie's ringtone for whenever April called him.

"Hey, that's April's ringtone!" his brother exclaimed.

Immediately afterward, Mikey and Raph began making kissy faces, to which Donnie responded by pushing them away. He proceeded to pick up the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hey April!" he said excitedly. Only, he decided to go back on it. "I mean...Heyyy April...I mean-"

On the side, Leo rolled his eyes. '_You've got to be kidding me…'_

"_Donnie, stop talking," _the blue masked turtle could hear her on the other side of the line. "_I need some help. I'm having a little of a...pest problem!' _ She said the last words frantically.

'_Pest problem? Hold on, she doesn't mean…'_

"You must hurry," Shishigami stated. "I am afraid your friend is in grave danger."

* * *

_**(3) **A few minutes later, on the surface…_

'_Oh my god, he wasn't kidding about there being an imbalance…'_

Humans were running and screaming in the streets for their lives. Among them were thousands and thousands of rats, who seemed to have gotten over their fear of humans and now roamed the streets in massive hordes. Leo never saw that many rats before in his life. No wonder Shishigami came here.

The four brothers were currently jumping from rooftop to rooftop in a very quick manner. According to Donnie, April was stuck on top of a telephone pole (how she had gotten up there without electrocuting herself would forever remain a mystery to Leo) as a result of a literal stampede of rats. And she didn't know how to get down either. Thus, they needed to get her down.

Currently, they were running towards her location, with Leo being the fastest of them in the lead. He couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by his younger brothers' reactions (more specifically Mikey's) to daytime in the city. Of course, the jinchuriki had been up there during daylight hours often, so he wasn't all that surprised about it.

"Wow, the city is so beautiful during the daytime," Leo heard Mikey say behind him. "Except for the, you know, billions of rats."

"**Baka, doesn't he know that this isn't normal?" **Kurama sneered.

'_I'm taking that as a no,' _Leo answered. '_Not a big fan of normal rats, huh?'_

"**Pft. They're disgusting, low life creatures. They cannot compare to that of a kitsune or myself." **Leo sweatdropped at that.

"Actually, the entire rat population of New York is around thirty-six million, which…" Donnie began to say until he was cut off.

"I will smack you out of your shell!" Raph yelled.

The blue masked turtle was getting highly annoyed, until he saw what they were looking for, and it wasn't a pleasant sight either. "Uhh guys, we might have a problem."

They stopped at the edge of the building. Below them was a literal river of rats, covering pretty much the entire street. And there was April, on top of a telephone poll, hanging on for dear life. How they were ever going to get her down was at the moment beyond them.

"Ah, rats!" Mikey exclaimed. "Ha-ha! Get it?"

"For the fourteenth time, yes!" Raph yelled at him in anger.

"We're coming April!" Donnie said. "Don't go anywhere!"

"Where can I possibly go?!" she retaliated, hinting at her current situation.

Raph and Leo pulled out their grappling hooks and threw them at the pole. Both were able to latch onto it. The red masked turtle jumped off the building, swinging towards the pole and landing on it. Leo did the same thing, landing above his brother. Donnie and Mikey also threw their grappling hooks, and landed on the pole below them Using what he learned from his chakra exercises, he sent chakra down into the bottoms of his feet, making it easier to climb.

As they climbed up however, rats were starting to climb up the pole as well, irritating Raph. One went up his arm, and as a second ran up his arm again, he shoved it off. Then, a third one climbed onto his head, and Raph lost it.

"Urrgh, these stupid rats are starting to get on my nerves!" he complained.

"Rats aren't stupid," Donnie stated. "Despite their small brain size, they're remarkably-Ow!" A falling rat hit him in the face.

"I warned ya," Raph added snidely.

Leo was becoming even more annoyed by the minute. "Raph, put down the rat and keep climbing," he scolded, and they began to climb the pole again.

"Hurry!" April yelled.

Unfortunately for all of them, the rats below were chewing away at the wooden pole. It became thin enough so that it would tilt over. Thankfully the electrical wires held it up, but as soon as the pole moved, April lost her hold and fell off.

'_Oh no!' _Leo thought.

On instinct, the blue masked turtle jumped off the pole, using the rope to swing around it. He caught her with his left arm and landed on the wood once more. April held onto him as if her life depended on it.

"You alright?" he asked.

He could feel from her emotions that she was frightened, very much so. Leo could understand, after all nearly falling to your death could scare anyone. Unfortunately he could also feel the jealousy just radiating off of Donnie, which annoyed him slightly. The jinchuriki gestured for her to let go of him and hold onto the pole instead, and April did just that.

That was when he felt the pole shift a little. Looking down, the blue masked turtle saw that the rats had completely chewed through the wood. His eyes widened in fear.

"Oh boy," Donnie sighed.

The pole came crashing down, only for it to be held up slightly by the wires connecting it at the last second. Yet this caused the turtles and April to fall off the top of the pole and cling onto it for dear life. It wasn't the most ideal situation to be in, considering there were thousands of rats below them.

"Okay, I appreciated you guys coming to help," April began. "But, how is this better than being eaten by rats?!"

"At least it'll be quick," Mikey stated. "With rats, they chew, and chew, and chew, and chew...and chew…"

"Okay, we get it," she said.

Donnie looked below, and saw a dumpster with more rats on top of it. Doing a quick calculation on what could possibly happen, he suddenly had an idea. He looked between the dumpster and the wires that held the pole up. It would be risky, but it was worth a shot no doubt.

"Let's move," he said.

The other turtles swung around and stood on the pole. Leo helped April get up, much to the dismay of Donnie. The five walked to the other side of the pole carefully, with Leo having his sword out in case there were any complications. Then, one of the electrical wires from the pole snapped. They all turned around, and gasped.

"Hurry!" Donnie exclaimed.

Thankfully, they managed to somewhat get to the other side just as the second wire snapped. The pole fell, part of it landing on the dumpster. There was just enough force for the other side of it to lift up, flinging all five of them across the street and onto the rooftop of a building. Thankfully they were mostly unharmed, and got up, watching the rats run over the pole below. _**(3!) **_

"Chew on that, rat finks!" Leo shouted, pointing at the rats. He was met with four glares, and probably a fifth one from a certain fox.

"Oh come on, that sounded cool!"

He was met with a slight pain in his head, knowing exactly who caused it.

"**That was bad, even for you," **Kurama sneered.

'_Okay! Okay! Ow! Stop!'_

"Does anyone know what the heck is going on?!" April asked, referring to their current situation.

"I'm not sure," Donnie began. "Whatever it is, this attack is extremely well coordinated. Obviously there is a higher intelligence at work here."

"Well, that rules out Mikey," Raph commented.

"I'm serious," Donnie continued. "Someone or something is controlling every rat in the city."

This caught Leo's attention, but Raph spoke for him. "Wait a sec. _Every _rat?"

"That means that Splinter could be…" Leo realized in horror.

Was that the reason for his sudden outburst of pain earlier? If that were the case, then this was extremely bad. They would have to hurry back and make sure he was alright. If not…

"Go, tend to your father," Shishigami's voice was heard, as he appeared behind them. Leo was slightly startled by this, but tried not to show it or look back.

"I will handle the large population of rats. This control can be broken easily by me. But I do not know how long a rat's free will can endure until control is set over it again. I entrust you to the task of defeating this entity that is controlling them. Now hurry."

Leo nodded slightly, making sure the others didn't notice. With that, the five ran back into the sewers, hoping that their master was alright. Shishigami watched from afar, seeing the blue masked turtle disappear underground.

"He surely is an interesting being…"

* * *

Leaping over the turnstiles, they saw the rat master lying on his back on the ground, with a mat underneath him. Splinter didn't appear to be moving at all, and his eyes were closed. Leo's eyes were looking up and down the rat master. This was not good at all. His brothers and April joined him, surrounding Splinter.

"Is he okay?" April asked, kneeling by the rat master's side.

"Donnie, you're the smart one," Raph complained. "What do we do?"

_**(4) **_"Maybe we should...poke him?" the purple masked turtle suggested.

"**Pah, as if poking the rat would actually make a difference."**

'_It's better than doing nothing I suppose. We could use Donnie's Bo staff. Just not the end with the blade, hehe.'_

"**I'll lose my utter faith in you if you poke him and the blade end comes out."**

'_I won't be poking him, if that's what you're thinking about.'_

"Good idea," Leo said. He turned to Mikey, who was right next to him. "Mikey, poke him."

As if the blue masked turtle expected it, Mikey retaliated. "Now way! I'm not poking him! You poke him!"

He rolled his eyes, knowing that the youngest turtle would say something like that. "Okay, we'll put it to a vote."

"Mikey," all three turtles said.

"I want a recount!" Mikey complained.

But there was no point in his pouting, as Donnie handed him the staff. "Ugh, fine."

He took the staff from his brother. Carefully, Mikey stuck it out in front of Splinter. Yet his concentration was very unfocused, as Leo could clearly see the Bo staff shaking rapidly. All four turtles were anxious at the sight.

"Easy, easy!" Donnie scolded. "Be careful not to squeeze the-"

As soon as he said that, a blade came out of the staff, centimeters from Splinter's head. Unfortunately they forgot to check which end of the staff it was. All four turtles screamed, backing away from Splinter quickly. In the panic, Mikey fumbled with the staff, causing him to drop it. The mood finally settled after a few seconds.

"**Hehehehe-HAHAHAHAHA!" **

'_HOW IS THIS FUNNY?!'_

Donnie picked it up and held it to Mikey. "Okay, let's try it from the _other _end."

The orange masked turtle shook his head quickly, but his genius brother shoved him forward. Mikey went towards Splinter, shaking rapidly. That was when he poked the rat master, and a split-second after, he backed away. Off to the side, the three older turtles nearly had a heart attack when Mikey poked him. But, just as Kurama had said earlier, nothing happened.

So Mikey began to poke him from multiple angles. The front, the back, the side. Still, the rat master didn't awake. So he got an idea, and went up near Splinter's face, all fear of getting punched in the shell gone now. Perhaps he could actually get away with something this time…

"Woah, he is totally out of it," Mikey stated in shock, as he poked Splinter's snout. "Dudes, check out the-" _**(4!) **_

'_Aaaaaand I'm not going to listen to that anymore,' _Leo thought in disgust, sitting down. '_Something is definitely wrong with him though. Maybe whoever it is that's controlling the normal rats is trying to get into his mind. And from the looks of it, he's having a hard time doing so. But, I can feel Sensei struggling.' _

"**Mind control?" **Kurama suggested.

'_It might be, but there really hasn't been anyone we've fought that has mind control abilities. Not only that, Shishigami had mentioned earlier that it was only rats. Why only them? Surely the person behind this would go after something more...vicious than rats. Foxes even."_

"**As if petty mind control could get ahold of me," **the kitsune scoffed. Yet he knew that it was a possibility, considering the Sharingan of that masked human took control of him.

'_I certainly don't want to find out either. Hmm, mind control. There hasn't been any enemy we've fought with that kind of ability.'_

"**What about that human scientist with the mind abilities?"**

Leo grimaced at Kurama's question. That incident ended in a close call. Weeks ago, before their first encounter with the Purple Dragons, the brothers had come across a news case involving a scientist named Dr. Tyler Rockwell. After some investigating, it turns out he was mutated into a monkey and had obtained psychic powers. Yet, none of them knew that, until Dr. Victor Falco had tricked them into handing Rockwell to him, thus enabling him to get psychic powers as well.

The worst part about it was that he could read minds. And if Leo didn't have any of the mind training from Shishigami, his secret about Kurama would've been found out. They ended up beating the scientist, and set Rockwell free.

'_He didn't have mind control abilities,' _Leo noted. '_The most he had was being able to read minds and slight combat skills. In that fight, if he had the ability, he probably would've used it. Unless somehow the mutagen that was used in obtaining the power to begin with somehow gave him the ability later. But using rats under mind control still doesn't…'_

In an instant, the blue masked turtle felt Splinter's emotions rise slightly, and he turned. The rat master's eyes were open, and unfortunately Mikey had the Bo staff in his mouth. As the orange masked turtle rambled on about how he was the best of the four turtles, Splinter grabbed the wooden weapon and threw Mikey off. He was thrown across the room and near the turnstiles.

"Sensei," Leo began, getting up from where he was seated, Donnie coming up next to him. "Are you okay?"

Splinter used the Bo staff to hold himself up slightly. "No Leonardo, I am not," he began, handing the staff to Donnie. "It would appear that your former adversary, Dr. Falco, has returned."

'_So it is him then…' _the jinchuriki thought, clenching his fist in slight anger. '_This is not good.'_

"Falco's behind this?" Donnie asked. "How is that possible?"

April began leading the rat master towards the dojo, holding his right arm. "Somehow, he has acquired a telepathic connection with every rat in New York. And he now calls himself, 'The Rat King.'"

The four turtles followed him in. "Oh great. Now we're letting the bad guys name themselves?!" Mikey complained. "We gotta take him down!"

"Yes Michelangelo, you do," Splinter said. "The Rat King will not rest until he has total control of this city...and my mind."

"Sensei?" the jinchuriki asked warily.

Leo had never seen his father like this in all the years he had raised them. He could feel the sadness radiating off of Splinter, and it shook him to the very core. While Leo knew that Splinter wasn't always calm and serious, this was one of those moments where that very demeanor had broken down. And because of his ability to sense emotions, the jinchuriki could feel the entire force of it.

Splinter walked over to his shrine, grabbing the old photo of him, Tang Shen, and Miwa. "Everything I knew is gone. My wife, my daughter, my clan, even my humanity...You four are all I have left…"

'_He's implying...that if his mind is...oh Sensei…"_

"Don't you worry, Sensei," Raph began. "We'll stop him."

"But we gotta find him first," Donnie mentioned, referring to the fact that they don't currently know where the Rat King was.

"When the Rat King attempted to take control of me, I could see into his mind," Splinter began. "You will find his lair in an abandoned utility junction beneath Herald Square."

"Let's go play exterminator," Raph stated.

At that moment, the rat master cried out in agony, clenching his head. Leo had a feeling that it was another attempt from the Rat King to obtain Splinter's mind. He ran up to his father, who knelt on the ground, dropping the old family photo. April also came to assist him.

"Fight him, Sensei," Leo said, helping Splinter get up. There was worry in his voice.

""I will. Just, hurry," his father answered.

"It's okay guys," April reassured them, leading the rat master away. "You go after the Rat King. I'll stay with Sensei."

Yet Leo could not hide the inner doubt he had held within his heart. Something bad was going to happen, and he just knew it. Next to his foot was the family photo that his Sensei dropped earlier. Picking it up, the turtle inspected it.

'_I have a feeling that this might help us,' _he thought. '_I'm sorry, Tang Shen, Miwa, for taking this.'_

Taking the photo, Leo ran off to join his brothers.

* * *

_Minutes later, in the sewers…_

"What's gonna happen to Splinter if we can't stop the Rat King?" Mikey asked aloud. "Which, by the way, lamest name ever."

Currently, the four brothers were heading towards the abandoned utility station Splinter had mentioned earlier. Still, they were all slightly on edge after seeing their master in such a condition. Well, Leo anyway. He wasn't so sure about his brothers, but he had the feeling that they were worried.

"Let it go already!" Donnie complained. Even Leo had to admit, he was getting tired of Mikey saying that.

"We're gonna stop the Rat King, and Splinter's gonna be fine," Raph reassured them. "Right Leo?"

He wasn't sure what exactly to say about that. While Leo didn't exactly know what the effects of defeating the Rat King would have on Splinter, he did know it would be better for the Rat King to be gone than to be around. After all, the psychological influence that the guy had on Splinter was pretty grave since he last saw him.

A rat ran by his feet, squeaking. "Shh, quiet," Donnie said. "Do you guys hear that?"

It was at that moment, that a stream of rats came from the tunnel behind them. There had been hundreds of them, and there were coming straight for the brothers.

"You gotta be kidding," Raph stated, annoyed.

"Aww ra-umph!" Mikey was about to say, but his mouth was covered by his red masked brother.

"Uhh, Leo?" Donnie asked him, as both turtles backed away from the oncoming surge of rats. "Any ideas?"

'_Well, I could potentially blow the rats away, but I would just be exposed. So no other options then except to run.'_

"Just one. MOVE!" Leo yelled.

All four turtles ran through the tunnel for dear life, but the rats were slowly catching up to them. As Leo rounded a corner, he noticed some pipes running above them. So he jumped and grabbed onto one, letting his legs hang out. Raph and Donnie, seeing this, did the same thing. Unfortunately Mikey had yet to catch onto the idea, and by the time he did, a few rats had clung to his foot as he jumped and latched onto the pipes.

The orange masked turtle screamed, kicking hard so the rats would fall off. Eventually they did, and Mikey hauled his feet up as well, wrapping them around the pipes. Yet one rat was still on him. It hissed and bit the top of his head.

"Ow!" he yelled as the rat jumped off. "Oh no…they got the taste for turtle now!"

"Come on! Just keep moving!" Leo shouted for his brothers to move.

With that, they began to edge forward, grabbing parts of the pipes in front of them as if it were monkey bars. The rats squealed beneath them, and he noticed that their movements were becoming less frequent. It was almost like a rat traffic jam was happening below them. Were they close to the utility junction then?

"I'm just saying," Leo heard Mikey behind him. "I can think of a million better names than 'The Rat King.' There's Ratzilla, the Verminator, Lord Rattington…"

"**As much as he is annoying, at least he is better in that department than you are," **Kurama stated.

This only made Leo angrier. "Can it Mikey," he sneered. "We're almost there. The utility chamber is just on the other side of that wall." He gestured his head in the direction of it.

"Uhh, you mean that disgusting, furry, squirming wall?" Raph question.

Leo turned his head, and tried his best not to vomit. The wall, which was probably previously made of bricks (and probably still was) was now covered in thousands of rats. Each of them stood on top of each other, creating a wall of rats on their own. The turtle gagged at the sight, and he wasn't alone.

"**Ugghhh, that's just disgusting...even for me."**

"How are we supposed to get past that?" Donnie asked.

Looking down, the blue masked turtle noticed two, dark yellow barrels next to the wall of rats. He sniffed the air, knowing that his heightened senses would be able to smell what was in them. A smirk grew on his face.

"Raph, those barrels, ventilate them," he ordered.

"You got it," his brother answered.

The red masked turtle took out a couple of shurikens and threw them at the barrels. They hit their targets perfectly, and punctured the sides, causing black fluid to leak out. The scent of the fluid was stronger than before, and Leo couldn't help but make his smirk into a wide grin.

"Uh, Leo," Donnie began. "You do realize those chemicals are highly combustible?"

His eyes flashed red, a toothy grin showing on his face. "You don't say," Leo commented.

Taking out one of his katanas, he laced it with invisible chakra and cut through a wire that ran alongside the pipes they held onto. It was a clean cut, and part of the wire swung into one of the barrels. This ignited it on fire, causing an explosion. The wall of rats fell apart, leaving an opening for the turtles.

"**You...you have inherited my sadistic side!" **the fox fake cried. "**Words cannot express the joy I feel!"**

His jinchuriki rolled his eyes. "Let's move," he told his brothers, and the other three followed soon after.

_**(5) **_Letting go of the pipes and walking on foot, the four turtles found the abandoned utility station that Splinter had mentioned earlier. It was quite huge, with different levels of open floors made of brick. Large pipes were welded into the ground nearby, and the lighting itself was rather odd. Clearly the place had fallen into ruin as parts of the floors above them were gone.

A few rats roamed the place, but not as many as earlier. This had to be the place. Looking up, they saw a man above them. On top of his head was a large hat, with bandages covering the upper half of his face. He wore some sort of black cloak, and his hands were bandaged as well. But if it was one thing that Leo noticed very well, it was that the man's facial features were very distorted.

'_Looks like my earlier theory was correct,' _the jinchuriki thought. '_He must've had an accident with mutagen he was experimenting with, and it gave him the abilities he has now.'_

"**The burns on his face are not natural," **Kurama pointed out. "**They almost look like chakra burns. Yet, they are not."**

'_Maybe an explosion then? Falco could've been experimenting with mutagen, and had faulty equipment. But that still doesn't explain why specifically he has control of only rats.'_

"**Animal experimentation perhaps."**

And it suddenly clicked. Falco was a scientist of course, and experimenting on rats should've been obvious. After all, he had experimented with Rockwell before. An explosion must've happened with mutagen, causing those burns. And when he was in agony and suffering, the mind abilities he had were affected by the mutagen and called out to rats. Suddenly it made sense.

'_If I'm right, then his control is only limited to rats then,' _Leo thought. '_Which is both a good and bad thing. Falco can't control any of us, but that still leaves Sensei open…'_

"Ah, my turtle friends," Falco, or rather the Rat King, began. "We meet again." A white rat appeared on his shoulder.

"Except last time Falco, you weren't wearing a sad Halloween costume," Raph commented sarcastically, getting a laugh from Donnie and Mikey.

"I am the Rat King!" the man shouted.

"*cough, cough, cough,* Lame," Mikey said off to the side.

"Sorry, we don't have any treats for you, but we've got a few tricks," Leo stated, earning himself a headache from Kurama.

'_OW!'_

"**That was just horrible." **

At that moment, Leo heard the familiar sound of birds chirping and a harp. He inwardly groaned, knowing that it was Donnie's ringtone for April. Then again, April was supposed to watch Splinter...did that mean…? A very bad nagging feeling was growing in the back of his mind.

"Way to ruin the moment, Donnie," Raph commented.

The purple masked turtle quickly picked up the phone. "Uhh April, now's not really the best time," he said, with two glaring turtles over his shoulder.

"Donnie, it's Splinter," she began. "He's gone!"

'_Oh no, please don't tell me…' _Leo thought in desperation. It was in vain however, when he felt a familiar presence approach.

"What do you mean gone?" Donnie asked. "Gone where?"

"Here..."

They turned around, and were all met with shock (minus Leo who had sensed his Sensei's presence earlier) There from behind a wall appeared Splinter, who looked as if he wasn't there anymore. An unsettling calmness surrounded the rat master. His eyes were red, a sign that he was being controlled. Finally, a katana was at his side. All four turtles gasped.

'_Damn it!' _the jinchuriki cursed. '_He managed to take control of him!' _

"It's like his brain is completely turned off!" Donnie said from behind.

"You mean like Mikey?" both Raph and Mikey asked at the same time.

"Dude, you're so predictable," the orange masked turtle sighed.

'_This isn't good at all. We can't fight him. If we do, the guys might end up getting seriously injured, and I…'_

Leo didn't want to think about having to reveal his full strength. Yet right now, they were in a very risky position. If it came down to it, would he show his true abilities? Or would he have to hide them away and die with them? But Kurama in the end would be released from his body, and that wasn't going to be a pleasant situation either. The blue masked turtle hoped it wouldn't come down to it.

"Sensei, snap out of it!" he yelled, hoping that the rat master would waver away from the Rat King's control.

"You waste your words," the controlled Splinter began. A couple of rats climbed onto his shoulders. "This is where I belong. With my brothers."

"He is mine now," the Rat King echoed above them. "Imagine my delight, when I realized controlling your master would not only make me invincible, but would also be the key to your demise. Hahahahaha!"

The jinchuriki gritted his teeth in frustration. '_He's sick! To use someone in that way...it's just...ARGH!'_

Kurama did not voice his opinion on the matter, yet he was surprised to hear Leonardo say such words. It was indirect, yet the same could be applied to when the fox was under the control of the masked human. One with a Sharingan. Obviously an Uchiha. Forced to attack the village by another's will. It was not a pleasant day at all. Lives were lost, and he ended up getting split in half, with one half in the afterlife and himself with Leonardo.

Yet, it was still strange to hear those words. For the longest time, the giant fox never trusted anyone. Heck, he couldn't even remember the last time he actually trusted anyone to begin with. Here however, he trusted Leonardo. There was no sense of being turned against, and certainly no sense of being used, just as humans wanted his power in the past, and probably still do. To see his jinchuriki witnessing his master being controlled was most definitely not easy to watch, having known the feeling.

"Splinter! Destroy them!" the Rat King commended.

And, just as he was ordered to do, Splinter turned his head away from the former scientist and began to walk towards the four turtles. Eyes remained focused, as he showed no emotion whatsoever. Leo was beginning to feel slightly nervous. The turtle wanted to avoid fighting his master at all costs.

"S-Sensei don't!" he yelled.

And for a moment, it seemed as if his voice reached the controlled rat master, as his eyebrows rose slightly and he stopped moving, closing his eyes. But from above, the Rat King saw and felt Splinter struggle out of his control. In an effort, he removed the bandages from his head, revealing just how ghastly he looked. This strengthened his control, and once again, Splinter opened his eyes which were still red and moved towards the turtles. _**(5!)**_

"Are we really going to do this?" Donnie asked, who was taking out his Bo staff.

"Remember, we did beat him once," Raph told him, also taking out his pair of sai. "Kind of."

'_That was all of my handiwork last time however,' _Leo thought. '_I don't want to fight him. Especially not when he's not going to hold back. The Rat King is going to use whatever he can to...kill us.'_

"**You must realize that it may come to the point where you must fight him with strength that you never show to them," **Kurama pointed out. "**As much as neither of us want our… 'relationship,' to be unveiled, I would prefer for you to not die and have myself reincarnated in the world above us."**

'_Yeah…'_

"**There is also the fact that the possibility of having to kill the rat is exceptionally high. This is also true, yes?"**

'_I know that, I-'_

"**What will you do should that situation come into fruition?" **

Leo froze. His thoughts were still, not even able to make a response to the kitsune's question. He truly didn't know. The scenario that Splinter never broke free of the rat King's control was something the jinchuriki never wanted to see. Even worse, if it came true, could he really kill his master? Or...if he couldn't, then what would happen to his brothers?

"**If the choice were to come about between your so-called, 'Father,' and your so-called, 'Brothers,' which would it be?"**

Out of all the times that Kurama could be so quizzing, it had to be now. There were those moments in the past, having experienced only a few. It felt as if the fox was secretly testing him for some reason. What said reason would be Leonardo would never know, yet the idea of it intrigued the blue masked turtle slightly. Questions that were asked as if to prove some sort of theory or calculation. The fox, he knew, was very clever when it came to these types of things.

But to choose one...Leo was torn immensely between the two. They were his family. The ones he had chosen to protect with his life. Hence why he trained himself into the ground and the extra training with Shishigami. It was for them. To choose one not only was like betrayal, but also a wasted effort. He couldn't choose. Leonardo has strong bonds on both sides. And now, he had his answer.

'_I choose both.'_

"**What makes you think you can do that?"**

'_Because I'll make sure it won't come to the point where I have to choose.'_

"**Hmm?" **Kurama seemed to be very interested in this. Almost as if he wasn't expecting that sort of answer.

'_I have a plan to get Master Splinter back to his senses. If I killed him, that would lead to hate from my brothers. If he killed them, hate would come from myself and I would lose control. The only way to win this is to help him break through it. I want to stop the hatred that'll come from this fight."_

"**And if you cannot?" **

'_Then I will __**die **__trying.'_

Kurama smirked. Just what he expected from his jinchuriki. Yet he couldn't help but noticed that the questions that were thrown in revealed a little bit of knowledge to him. Perhaps...this was the kid the old man mentioned one thousand years ago. If that were the case, then there would be many trials ahead. Kurama trusted Leonardo, and if his assumptions were true, then he couldn't have asked for a better candidate.

'_**Heh. The old man must be rolling over in his grave with laughter from all the praise I give to him.'**_

"And we can beat him again," Leo reassured his brothers. "We can do this guys. Do _not _hesitate."

The rats on Splinter's shoulders climbed off of him, and unsheathed his katana. Leo also took his blades and pointed them towards his master. He could feel the uneasiness from his brothers, as they gripped their weapons tighter. There was no other way. They had to fight.

_**(6) **_"Take. Sensei. _Down." _Leo commanded.

All at once, they charged at their Sensei, weapons at the ready. The brothers leapt into the air, striking forward, hoping to at least knock him back instead of having to injure him. However, their weapons ended up hitting the ground instead. Looking back, there was Splinter, who had evaded their attacks with ease.

In an instant, they were thrown back. Mikey was thrown into the wall on a ledge. Raph got flung into a corner, bouncing off the floor and hitting the wall. Leo, just in the nick of time, pulled his dual katanas in front of him when Splinter hit him. This however, did not stop that fact that he got thrown into a pipe on the second floor of the station. Thankfully his shell took most of the shock, but it still hurt.

He felt Donnie's presence come close to him, and when he opened his eyes, Leo saw the flying form of Donnie coming straight towards where he was at the moment. He leapt out of the way swiftly, only for his brother to hit his head on the pipe. For a moment, it retracted into his shell, until the purple masked turtle managed to get it out.

'_Ouch...he must have a concussion or something like that now…'_

"I just had a horrible realization…" Donnie began. "He's been going easy on us all these years!"

'_WASN'T THAT KINDA OBVIOUS FROM THE START?!' _Leo thought. '_Still...I've never really seen Splinter when he doesn't hold back against us. Maybe I won't have to hold back as much either.'_

Leo saw his brother run off towards Splinter, jumping off the platform and into the fray. He nearly yelled at Donnie to stop, but by then it was already too late. Off to the side, he felt Raph and Mikey recover from the previous blow, and it seemed as if the fight itself was turning into a one-on-one.

'_As much as I think it's a bad idea, a one-on-one fight is probably the only way we can win. We tried teamwork, and Sensei only ended up throwing us back. If they keep going at Splinter…'_

His gaze followed his genius brother, who jabbed at Splinter with his Bo staff multiple times, only for the rat master to avoid it with ease. Donnie jumped, swinging the staff down towards Splinter. In response, the turtle's weapon was knocked clean out of his hands by a katana, leaving Donnie defenseless. Splinter jabbed him with his left elbow, sending the purple masked turtle into the wall.

"Donnie!" Leo heard Mikey yell.

Looking over to where his youngest brother was, he saw him swinging his nunchuck chain around, and threw it at Splinter. But the rat master quickly moved out of the way, letting the chain wrap around his sword. With great strength, Splinter swung his blade, taking not only the chain, but also Mikey with it. He was thrown against a wall on one of the higher levels of the facility, and dropped right in front of his master.

Before Splinter could make any sort of retaliation, he moved off to the side, dodging an incoming attack from Raph, who raced at him with a sai in his right hand. Leo jumped down from where he was, knowing full well he was going to join the fight soon.

"Nobody hits Mikey but me!" the red masked turtle yelled.

Turning around, Raph swiped back with his sai, hoping to get some sort of hit in. However, Splinter was gone. His emerald eyes widened, and unfortunately he had an idea where exactly the rat master was. Looking up, he saw Splinter do a front flip, and before Raph could do anything, he was kicked in the face and sent tumbling to the ground, sais thrown away from him. Leo stood over his red masked brother.

'_Time's up…' _he couldn't help but think.

His master stood on the other side of the facility, gaze piercing into his very soul. He could feel the Rat King watching intently from above. His brothers lying on the ground, defeated. Leo gripped his katanas tighter. He knew it wasn't Splinter's fault, yet he could not help but feel some anger escape his system.

"Sensei," Leo begged. "_Please_."

All in all, he didn't want to fight his father, not in this way. There were too many risks at stake. At the moment, the blue masked turtle was risking his own life and his brothers' own versus the secret he's kept away for his entire life, even though for a majority of his life he didn't know it. Leo didn't want any of this to happen. But, there was no other choice…

Splinter began to rush at him, his pleas left on deaf ears. It was pointless to try to reason. Leo closed his eyes, and focused.

'_Kurama...I ask of you to lend me your strength.'_

"**Heh. You don't even need to ask."**

'_Right.'_

For a second, there was silence, except for the sound of Splinter running towards him. Leo felt Kurama's power run through his chakra pathways. No one could feel it transpiring, for no one, except for a certain deer god, could sense chakra or even have it to begin with. This was it. There was no going back now. Leo opened his eyes, revealing red pupils. He was still in control, but with Kurama's strength, his eyes turned red.

"Ikuzo, Kurama." (Let's go, Kurama.) Leo whispered, so no one could hear.

Leo ran at Splinter, meeting him halfway. Their blades clashed. However, the blue masked turtle semi-underestimated Splinter, and he was thrown back slightly. Getting up quickly, he blocked another strike from the rat master, jumping over and flipping midair to avoid another blow. For the moment, all he could do was defend.

'_Damnit, this isn't working,' _he thought, jumping out of the way to avoid yet another swing. '_I need to increase my speed.'_

"**You're afraid, Leonardo," **Kurama noted. "**You will not be able to hit him if you continue like this. Remember not to be afraid to fight him."**

'_I'm not. It's just...wait. That's it!'_

Once again, he was thrown back by one of Splinter's strikes. Not falling over completely and landing on his feet, Leo saw the rat master jump towards him, and he held up his katanas to stop him. Red eyes also met red. But with great strength, the rat master was able to slide his blade across Leo's own, making them fly off in different directions. The turtle was defenseless now, and all it took was one kick from Splinter to send him to the ground. He was immediately pinned against the floor by the rat master's foot. The blade pointed straight to him. Leo's red eyes widened.

"Wait!" Leo cried out.

"Finish him…" he heard the Rat King say.

"Remember who you are!" The blue masked turtle shouted, taking out the picture he had taken from Splinter's shrine earlier. "Hamato Yoshi."

This seemed to have some sort of effect on Splinter, for the rat master's eyes widened slightly. Kurama smirked, knowing that it was time to act. He didn't waste any time as soon as

"Donnie, Raph, now!"

As soon as Leo yelled that, the two turtles he called out tackled Splinter, pinning him to the ground, and letting Leo go. Soon, Mikey joined in keeping the rat master down, and Leo got on top to make sure Splinter didn't move. He wasn't quite sure if their hold would keep him down long, but they had to try.

"Please..._father._"

Rarely was there a time that Leo actually spoke of Splinter like that. It wasn't that he didn't like him as his father. He was so used to calling him, "Master," and, "Sensei," that the word father just never came out. And deep down, though Leo would never say this, it felt as if Splinter was never truly his father. Not biologically of course. Still, the feeling was odd.

And yet, the rat master acted as an important parental figure in his life. Not that Kurama wasn't an important figure. It just so happened that he met the fox when he was ten. Also Kurama couldn't really be considered parental material anyway, right?

At this point, Leo was begging, begging for Splinter to snap out of it and regain control. If this didn't work, then it would be all over. One of two things could happen; him and his brothers die, or his secret was revealed.

"We _need_ you," Leo stated, hoping that it was enough.

He saw Splinter look up at him, eyes somewhat widened. Hoped filled Leonardo, as what he was doing was somehow taking effect. However, this was ruined when the Rat King appeared in front of them, rats at his feet.

"Don't listen to him brother," he stated. "Your place is with me!"

His control seemed to have solidified more, as the next thing Splinter did was something none of them could stop. He managed to get up slightly, rolling over and kicking Raph, Donnie, and Mikey away. Leo was also thrown back, but Splinter was able to catch one of his katanas as well as the blue masked turtle. Before he threw him to the ground, the rat master slashed the blade across his shell diagonally, somehow cutting into the shell and leaving a big gash, blood coming out.

"AHHHH!" Leo cried out in pain, as he was thrusted to the ground.

Splinter held the katana with his left hand behind his back. The Rat King loomed over them, smirking in victory. Leo's red eyes widened, turning back to the familiar shade of blue. Even he had to admit, he was scared. But there was nothing else he could do. It was over, and he only had one choice left. Closing his eyes, Leo spoke to the fox in his head.

'_Kurama...I'm sorry, but, our secret is going to have to come forward. Please...heal me…'_

But there was no answer from the fox. Even for a few seconds. Leo began to grow nervous as the seconds passed by. Had he not heard him or something?

'_Kurama?'_

"**No need."**

'_Huh? But why-'_

"My place…" Leo heard Splinter say as the rat master closed his eyes. "...is with my sons!"

Splinter's eyes opened, revealing the normal maroon nature of them. He was back and in control. Running forward towards the Rat King, Splinter held out two fingers. As soon as he pointed them at the man's chest, almost touching in fact, unleashed a gust of wind. The Rat King was thrown into the wall, the wind knocked out of him, and landed on the floor, unconscious. _**(6!) **_

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey got up and looked at the scene with shock, eyes blinking at the sight. But after a few seconds, they realized what happened. Splinter was back. All three of them ran to their master and hugged him.

"Sensei!" the three of them shouted as they hugged the rat master.

Leo saw Splinter relax, knowing that it was finally over. Off to the side, a herd of rats crawled over the Rat King's body, and he disappeared. Unfortunately he had a feeling that they would meet again someday.

"And that's the last we'll see of Count Ratcula!" Mikey added for dramatic effect. However, no one really seemed to care about that. Even Splinter shook his head.

"Yeah, alright. It's Rat King," Mikey stated with annoyance. "But I'm naming the next one."

"**He better do it before you do," **Kurama commented.

The blue masked turtle chuckled at that, and attempted to get up. However, pain shot up from his chest area, resulting in a loud hiss escaping from his mouth. It was unbearable. So much so that he was beginning to lose consciousness. Thankfully, the hiss was loud enough for his family to hear, as he could feel them rushing over to this fallen body.

"Leonardo!" He heard Splinter vaguely say in horror.

And the jinchuriki blacked out.

* * *

"You think he'll be alright?" Leo heard a voice. Most likely from Mikey.

"He'll be fine. He should be waking up soon. I did my best with his shell. But it isn't easy to surgically repair a carapace." Most definitely Donnie.

"Eh, Fearless can handle it." Raph.

Light began to fill his vision, and he groaned. "I told you I don't like that nickname," Leo whispered.

"Leo!" All three of them shouted, much to the eldest turtle's dismay.

His eyes now fully open, it appeared to be he was in Donnie's Lab. The jinchuriki wasn't quite sure what exactly happened to him, his memory being a tad bit fuzzy for the most part. But it slowly came back in pieces. Leo had passed out after the fight with Splinter. Looking down, he could see the job that Donnie did on his shell.

"Dude! We thought we lost you!" Mikey shouted, attempting to hug his oldest brother.

"Ow! Ow! Okay Mikey! I get it!" Leo said, trying to take him off, since the hug was becoming painful. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Raph stated matter of factly.

"Out of all of us, you had the worst of it Leo," Donnie mentioned. "You've been unconscious for three days."

"You've got to be kidding me…" he groaned, slightly getting up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy Leo! You need rest!" Donnie implored. "I had to stitch part of your shell back together. Unfortunately I couldn't do much because carapace doesn't exactly heal that way and-"

"English, Brainiac," Raph stated.

"What I'm saying is that your shell is going to look like that for the rest of your life," Donnie continued in simpler terms. "You're going to have to take it easy in fights from now on."

Of course, Leo knew that what his brother said wasn't true. After all, once they were gone, he would have this thing healed. But again, Leo couldn't say that. There was still one thing on his mind.

"Where's Master Splinter?"

"In the dojo meditating," Raph answered. "The past few days haven't been easy on all of us."

The blue masked turtle visibly winced. It had been Splinter who put him in this position in the first place. It must've been heartbreaking, later in finding out that you put your son in a coma for who knows how long. Now that he was up, he wanted to reassure him that he was alright. Leo got up and began to make his way out of Donnie's lab and towards the dojo.

"Dude! What are you doing! You need to chill bro!" He heard Mikey say.

"I need to talk to Splinter," was all the jinchuriki replied with.

"But-"

"Donnie, I'm _fine, _now let me go!" Leo shouted in an angry tone.

All three turtles backed off, watching with worry as their eldest brother, who was just recently lying in a coma, leave the room. Leo tried his best to walk straight, but even with Donnie's handiwork, it still hurt to move. He would most likely have to ask the deer god to heal him, that is if Shishigami was willing to do it.

He entered the dojo quietly, trying to not make too much of a disturbance. Splinter was currently in deep meditation. However, one foot in the room took the rat master out of it, Leo seeing him opening his eyes and getting up to greet him.

"Leonardo," he said in a shocked tone. "You are awake."

"I'm fine Sensei, really," he reassured him. "Are you sure you're okay though?"

"I am, thanks to you," Splinter stated. "You did well, my son. And I must apologize for you...injury…" he said in a more somber tone.

"Really Sensei," Leo told him. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry. It wasn't your fault."

There was silence between the two until a thought ran through Leo's mind. "Buuut, you did hesitate. And hesitation does lead to vulnerability."

He heard Splinter chuckle at that. Leo was grateful that he was able to get him out of that mood.

"Yes, I suppose I did," the rat master answered. "Go rest my son. You need it. There will be no training for a week."

"Thank you, Sensei. It's good to have you back."

Just as the turtle was about to leave the dojo, there was a lingering thought at the back of Splinter's mind. He called out to his son.

"Leonardo, I…"

"What is it Sensei?" said turtle asked.

At the last second, he retracted his question. "Nothing, my son. Go and rest."

Leo nodded, and exited the dojo, leaving Splinter behind. The rat master sat down once more, attempting to meditate. There was one event in his mind that he could not get rid of, no matter how hard he tried. It was haunting, which rarely ever made Splinter feel that way. Yet at the same time, he was very grateful that it occurred.

* * *

_Flashback, during the battle…_

_**(7) **There was absolutely nothing he could do. Splinter was bound in chains, ones that refused to be broken no matter how hard he tired. The world around him, his mind rather, was completely pitch black, save for one window. And through that window, he could see the events going on in the real world._

_Splinter was fighting his sons, to the death._

_For the first time, not since fifteen years ago, he felt fear. Fear that he would actually critically injure his sons. Or worse, kill them. No matter how much he struggled, Splinter's mental fortitude was weak, unable to break the Rat King's control over his mind._

_Various thoughts flowed through his head. Some included that his sons didn't need him. Or that his sons thought that they would be better off without him. That they didn't love him. It was heartbreaking to think such things. Yet it was slightly true remembering his earlier spar with the four turtles._

_Leonardo had managed to hit him, which was something that none of his sons were able to do before. They were catching up to him finally. And that only made his heart break even more. That the time was coming to the point where his sons wouldn't need him. Splinter couldn't do anything. And so he was about to give in._

_Until there was a loud, booming voice echoing in his mind._

_"**Oi! Oi! Rat!"**_

_The rat master immediately opened his eyes, and was shocked at the sight. There was no more darkness around him, but in its place was a cave. A pool of water was at its center, and moonlight shone through a hole above it. The moon brightened up the area, revealing gray stone walls and stone floors._

_Right in front of him were large, iron bars, with a larger one in the center. There was a piece of paper that said, "Eight Trigrams Seal." He didn't quite entirely understand what it meant. Furthermore, Splinter wasn't sure of where he was at the moment. And he couldn't move either, for the chains were still around him._

_However, he felt a very ominous force make its way towards the bars. And the Splinter saw it. Huge, red eyes gleamed at him, as if they were piercing his soul. Fangs, sharper than any sword. Fur, orange and bright. The rat master was now able to get a full glimpse of the mysterious creature. It was a fox, a giant one at that, that could tower over buildings. Only, there was something different, other than its size._

_It had nine tails._

_"A kitsune?" Splinter spoke._

_"**Do you think he doesn't need you?" **Asked the kitsune._

_He was stunned into silence. What did the fox mean exactly? Who was this, "he," that was being referred to?_

_"Forgive me, I do not understand," the rat master answered._

_"**Baka. Of course a mortal like you wouldn't understand," **the fox sneered. "**Listen."**_

_There was silence for a moment, until Splinter heard a voice. He could not see the events that were transpiring outside, but he knew that voice all too well._

_"Please, _father_," It was Leonardo. "We _need_ you."_

_Splinter's eyes widened. Leonardo never, ever called him that. Not that he didn't like being called that, but he was so used to Sensei and Master Splinter that this shocked him. It struck accord within his soul. Perhaps his sons needed him after all._

_"**Do you understand, rat?" **The fox asked._

_He began to struggle in his chains, trying to free himself. But it was no use. The chains were strong, as the Rat King's control over him was growing more powerful._

_"Don't listen to him brother. You're place is with me!" He heard said person's voice echo._

_And then, Splinter heard the sound of something he never wanted to hear._

_"AHHHH!" His son had cried in pain. What the rat master didn't notice was the kitsune flinching at the noise._

_"LEONARDO!" Splinter yelled._

_He struggled harder in the chains, yet nothing could break them. It was impossible at this stage. Splinter heard the fox shift positions as it began to speak once more._

_"**You are killing him," **the fox said simply, anger beginning to grow. "**Break out of those chains."**_

_"What?"_

_"**Do so or he will die, and you along with him, brat. That I will make sure of if the event occurs." **Anger was flowing from the fox. "**You want to be with him, do you not?"**_

_And so Splinter's resolve to break out of those chains grew more and more. He could feel the chains weakening around him. Until finally...SNAP! They all broke at once. Splinter stood up, glaring at the kitsune. There was a blank expression in its face._

_"**Go, Splinter."**_

_And Splinter began to fade away, the area becoming blurry around him. But, there was one last thing he heard, however he wasn't quite sure who spoke first, but he had a lingering feeling about who it was._

_'...rama?'_

_"**No need."**_

_And the fox smirked. **(7!)**_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 11! Yee!**

**I really must apologize. Finally, my two month long hiatus is over. It was a combination of remote school, stress, and unfortunately loss of interest in writing (and that never happens) Also I discovered Bleach (Toshiro Hitsugaya is my favorite, expect a oneshot in the future lol). But I promise this won't happen again. I've planned out ways to get me from spiraling into this mess. **

**Anyway, this chapter is based off the episode, "I, Monster," for those who don't know. A Splinter and Leo focused episode! Anyone else find it odd that this is the only time in the entire show that Leo called Splinter, "Father," ? Even Raph says it more than he does. **

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy the story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	13. Ch 12 Our Agendas Align

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 12! Yee!**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! It means a lot to me!**

**Here's the music list!**

_**(1) Utsusemi (Man of the World) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

_**(2) Daylight of Konoha - Naruto OST 2**_

_**(3) Saika (Mountain Haze) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2**_

**_(4) Evil - Naruto OST 2_**

_**(5) Nankou Furaku (Impregnable) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2 **_

_**(6) Kodoku (Loneliness) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1**_

**Now let's get to it!**

**I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.**

**Chapter 12**

**Our Agendas Align **

He wasn't surprised to see the shocked expressions of his family when he woke up one morning, five minutes after he left Shishigami. His scar, which Donnie deemed to be unfixable and would remain like it did on his shell for the rest of his life, was completely gone.

How and why that happened was something Leo left for them to desire and wonder about. After all, something that the deer god did in mere seconds could never be explained by science. Heck, the nature and specificity of chakra was impossible to explain how exactly it healed him and forever fixed the damage Splinter caused him.

Speaking of said master, Splinter was very surprised to see the lack of said injury on his shell, but since then, he never brought it up. This left the blue masked turtle very curious of course, as his brothers practically bombarded him with questions as to why something as major as that failed to make an appearance in that one spot. Either way, it was definitely something to talk about.

At least it no longer hindered him as much, and not to mention how it wouldn't remind his master of the unintentional damage he caused on his eldest son. Leo could tell that it was taking Splinter a long time to get over that incident. And it seemed like there were moments that his Sensei would want to ask him something, but he would just end up dismissing him.

Other than that, life continued on. Things seemed to have gotten back to normal, with the issue of the scar fading into the back of their minds. For a few days, there seemed to be a lack of activity since the incident with the Rat King. Leo could relax for a little bit while he trained. However, a few days later, as they were patrolling, they spotted the Kraang.

"When fight is concluded, the ones called, 'The Turtles,' are defeated by Kraang," one of the silver androids said, blasting away at them.

Immediately the blue masked turtle ran forward and sliced through the robotic arm holding the blaster. Then, he proceeded to chop the other one off, sending the robot to the ground. The turtle smirked in satisfaction as he ran after the next one.

"They're fighting _robots?_"

Only Leo heard the owner of the question, thanks to his great sensing ability. And he knew exactly who it was. But for the moment, the jinchuriki continued to fight on, not bothered by the sudden appearance one bit.

"Woah...this town's more interesting than I thought."

'_As if I wasn't interesting enough,' _Leo wondered. '_I can feel a few others with her...they must be out on patrol just like we are. Probably searching for us no doubt. Still, this is rather inconvenient.'_

His gaze found its way towards Karai, who just happened to be watching from the edge of a building. Leo threw a glare at her, eyes slightly turning red. He gave a short nod, indicating that he wanted to talk with her for a moment. Thankfully Karai caught this, and turned to the Foot Soldiers with her.

"Fall back. I'll handle the situation myself," she told them.

As soon as Karai ordered those words, the Foot Soldiers left, their presences disappearing from Leo's sensing range soon afterwards. Karai too, also went further in on the building's rooftop, in order to not be discovered. The turtle smirked at this, and returned to the fight at hand. He jumped in the air and brought down another Kraang, cutting it in half.

Glancing over, Raph was also finishing his fight with another robot, sai penetrating his opponent's circuits and falling to the ground. Mikey had the Kraang he was facing tied up in his nunchucks' chain. Using the blade embedded in his weapon, the orange masked turtle took it down by throwing the blade at the robot's head, shutting it down. Donnie quickly took down the two Kraang surrounding him, with a quick jab of his bo staff to the first one, and unveiling the blade in his staff and stabbing the second one.

Once they were done, the three brothers went over to Leo. "You guys head back," Leo told them. "I want to check up on something."

Donnie and Mikey glanced at each other and shrugged, having no idea what he was referring to. Raph on the other hand, had a slight idea as to what Leo was speaking about, but chose not to say anything. However, he would most definitely confront his older brother about it later. And so they left, his brothers going off in a different direction and himself going in the direction where Karai was at the moment. Climbing up a fire escape, he saw her standing by the edge.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring popcorn to watch the entertainment," Leo stated, surprising her as she turned to face him.

"Well, it isn't exactly like we're given refreshments every hour," Karai joked back. "Though I have to admit, the performance was top notch. So fox-boy, what've you been up to?"

She heard him grumble about not liking being called that, causing a slight chuckle to escape her mouth. "I mean really, fighting robots? What were those things?"

"Nothing, it's best we don't discuss them now," he answered quickly.

For Leo's sake and his brothers' sake, it was best for the Foot to not know about the Kraang. For them to get involved would further complicate things. Not to mention what would happen if Shredder got access to Kraang tech, or even worse, mutagen? While he knew Karai would keep some things a secret, this topic would not be one of them.

"And I don't have much time, and I'm sure you don't either, considering you sent your lackeys away."

He withdrew a blade from where he kept his katanas. It had been hidden in there. And the blade just so happened to be the very one Karai threw at him to help him escape from Snakeweed. Karai looked at him in realization, and she then saw him toss it to her. She grabbed it by the handle.

"This is yours. I figured it would be best to return it to you, considering my family would ask me as to why I have a blade with the Foot's symbol on it in my room, other than Raph."

He turned and began to leave. "Oh and Karai? Thanks."

With that Leo, jumped off the roof and began to return home, leaving a slightly surprised Karai behind, who was trying to figure out as to why he even bothered returning the blade in the first place. The jinchuriki could hear Kurama chuckle in the back of his mind.

"**Somehow, you manage to surprise everyone."**

'_I suppose so.'_

* * *

_Ten minutes later…_

_**(1) **_"You _knew _the Foot Clan was watching us!" Raph accused him.

Unfortunately his return home wasn't quite as smooth as he thought it would be. Donnie and Mikey were busy doing their own thing, not even noticing their brother come back. But it seemed as if Raph was waiting for him. A glare from the red masked turtle welcomed him home as he went over the turnstiles.

That was when Leo knew what it was about. He just knew that his brother saw or at least had an idea from his earlier statement that Karai was there. And judging from the look he was being given, Raph was definitely not happy.

And a few seconds after they entered the dojo to talk, a literal sparring session began. Only, it was becoming even more violent by the minute. Their weapons unsheathed, anger in one's eyes and semi-tamed calmness was in the other's eyes. And that calmness was beginning to fade away as the spar and accusations continued on.

"There weren't any soldiers up there," Leo lied. "Only Karai."

"Karai _is _the Foot!" Raph talked back, not taking any excuse his brother gave him.

In the back of the blue masked turtle's mind, Kurama scoffed in disagreement. He knew full well that there was more to the kunoichi than meets the eye. Especially when it came to the first time they met. The girl could keep secrets, that was guaranteed. What else she was hiding at the moment was unknown.

Yet the fox understood better than anyone about emotions. It was one of his signature abilities after all. Sensing negative emotions could be used very well in a fight, as well as interrogation in some sort of way. Figuring out the intentions behind something, the ability to tell if someone was lying. That was huge in a shinobi's line of work, for it could mean the difference between being able to trust someone and getting killed.

Of course, this situation was vastly different. Kurama has seen Karai, both from Leonardo's eyes and up close. If his jinchuriki trusted her, then there was no way to convince him otherwise. And because of the circumstances, he highly doubted the human girl would attempt to betray him. After all, the fox's abilities, as well as Leonardo's own, were known to Karai.

Kurama continued to watch the fight between the two brothers. After Raph said that, he lifted his sais up, pushing away Leo's sword, which was previously locked with the red masked turtle's signature weapon. Leo grabbed the non-blade end of his katana, as his brother pushed his sais against it.

"You _knew _she was watching, and all you did was show off!"

This greatly angered Leo, and in response, he kicked Raph over him, ducking underneath as his opponent went over him. Soon afterward, he got up from the ground.

"I didn't show off!" Leo exclaimed. "All I did was finish off the Kraang closest to where I was, and let you handle yours. She wasn't going to attack us anyway. It was only her."

"Of course not!" Raph retaliated, circling around him. "She's _studying _our moves for next time. You don't flirt with the enemy, Leo. You take them down!"

"**He does not understand the attribute of psychological warfare, it seems…"**

'_Apparently, but still, he's wrong!'_

"**Hmm."**

This type of combat was extremely useful for the fox. After all, kitsunes were known to trick and outwit their opponent, sometimes using words and techniques against them. Kurama was different. He prided himself in his power, however mocking and discouraging his enemy was also used to his advantage. Unfortunately this did not work as well on his previous jinchurikis.

"No! You're wrong about her! She has a good side!"

And she clearly did, as the whole fact that his secret has remained a secret for this long proves it. Karai hasn't mentioned anything at all that he knew about. And if she did, Leo would've known by now. Either way, Karai was trustworthy enough.

In a matter of seconds, his sword was in contact with Raph's sais, putting the two turtles in a deadlock position.

"Oh yeah?" The red masked turtle asked sarcastically. "Well, if that's what you're doing, why don't you go tell the others?"

"Because they wouldn't understand!" Leo suddenly blurred out.

'_And you don't understand my situation either!' _he thought, though these words remain unsaid.

He knew for a fact that none of them would truly understand. This went for the situation with Karai, as well as his status as a jinchuriki. They wouldn't be able to fathom just how exactly there was a giant fox inside of him, and maybe accuse him of being possessed. If at all possible, Leo would've liked the situation with Karai to remain hidden. But since Raph knew, things went downhill from there.

After Leo had spoken, Raph turned to the left, while his sais were still locked with his brother's blade. This caused Leo to go flying towards the wall. And as soon as he reached it, Raph pinned him to the wall with his left arm.

"You really think Mikey and Donnie wouldn't understand?" Raph asked, only to avert his eyes for a moment as if he was thinking something over. "You really think Donnie wouldn't understand?"

"Look, I know what I'm doing!"

His anger was beginning to grow each second. It was as if Raph didn't trust him to do anything. He could handle a situation like this! Heck, he's been handling a rather unusual situation for the past five years! And so in response, he punched Raph away, sending him to the ground. The situation was beginning to turn into a brawl rather than a spar.

Raph got up, and ran towards Leo. Said turtle punched with his right arm, but was then tackled to the ground. Once he was down, Raph punched him quickly multiple times, before Leo swatted him away and was able to get his brother off of him. In retaliation, Leo jumped on top of his brother, wrapping his arms around the red masked turtle's neck. Raph grabbed Leo's arms and attempted to break his hold on him.

"You have to trust me!" Leo told him.

"Why should I?!" Raph exclaimed back.

For a moment, the words seemed to have tugged at the jinchuriki's heart. It really seemed like his brother didn't trust him. Did he not trust him to do anything? In some ways, it broke him a little that his oldest younger brother wouldn't trust him. But before Leo could say anything else, the voice of Splinter interrupted them.

"What is going on in here?!" The rat master yelled.

Looking up, there was Splinter, standing right in front of them. Leo let go of Raph, getting up from the ground. This was not good. Did Splinter overhear their conversation? If so, he was in pretty big trouble. In case he hadn't, Leo just brushed it off.

"Nothing important," Leo stated. "_Right Raph_?"

His brother looked away, arms crossed in denial. But, he sighed in defeat. "Right…"

A second of silence passed, and Leo decided it was best to leave. "I'm going to head out. Need some fresh air…" was all he said.

His brother and his father did nothing to stop him from exiting the dojo. Raph waited until his brother was completely far away enough to sigh again. Splinter had caught onto this behavior easily.

"Is something the matter, my son?"

"It's just...I don't know Sensei," he began. "Leo just seems...different, I guess."

And the red masked turtle left soon after, only to find that his older brother was gone, most likely in the sewers heading up to the surface. While Splinter wouldn't say it, he couldn't help but agree that Leonardo was slightly changing.

And not for the better. _**(1!)**_

* * *

_Twenty minutes later, downtown New York…_

_**(2) **_'_Let's see...Volume 94...95...ah hah! Volume 96!'_

The blonde haired teen picked up the small book of manga in victory. At the moment, he was currently wearing a white hoodie with green trimmings, and blue pants. He still wore his forehead protector, with the metal plating on it showing the kanji for, 'lion.' The tail ends of it were short, unlike the blue mask he wore in his turtle form.

In the middle of New York City, Leonardo currently stood in the middle of a comic store, ready to buy the manga volume he just so recently found. It had just recently come out, and he had been looking forward to it for a while. However, that wasn't the real reason as to why he was out here.

Reality speaking, Leo wanted to get away from home. An oncoming feeling of dread filled his heart when he heard Raph's words of not trusting him. It made the jinchuriki realize how much he was hiding in the first place. Not to mention that he said he knew what he was doing.

'_Does anyone really trust me?' _He wondered. '_I've been hiding so much. And now I'm hiding more. Has it come to the point where my own family can't trust me with anything? Because I don't trust them?'_

"**Baka. You know very well why we keep this secret. It's for our protection and sanity. Not to mention your safety. You know this."**

'_I know that, but… I'm just not sure what to think. Raph didn't really mean what he said, I know for sure. Both of us were angry. He wanted me to tell the others, but I want to keep this to myself. I don't want anyone to get involved…'_

Leo had dealt with many problems in his life before on his own. This wouldn't be so bad. If only he could get Raph to stop pestering him about not trusting Karai. He could trust her, that was a fact. Otherwise Leo wouldn't have shown Kurama to her, or even kept her alive should she had decided to tell anyone, more specifically Shredder.

He could handle a situation like this. If only Raph could understand that she wasn't that bad of a person. While yes, Karai is in the enemy clan, she wasn't always on the line for revenge. Their little midnight spar proved that. Still, it would be nearly impossible to convince Raph to think otherwise.

Seconds later, his thoughts were interrupted by humming. Leo knew the tune of it, having heard it in another anime he had watched. But the sound of the person humming the song was very familiar.

'_No, it couldn't be her. Why would she be here of all places anyway?'_

Ignoring it completely after that, Leo continued looking through the aisle he was currently in. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind to investigate the next aisle over, where the owner of the humming currently was. It was then that an idea came to his head.

'_Hey Kurama.'_

"**Hmm?" **The fox stirred. "**You want to make a bet don't you?"**

'_Yes. Do you think it's Karai on the other side or not?'_

Kurama was silent for a moment, listening to the sound. "**Not her."**

'_Oooo really? I'm surprised you're taking that side. Alright, I'm going to say it's her. Loser has to do something for the other person, within boundaries of course. We have a deal?'_

"**Yes."**

'_Okay then!' _Leo began to walk towards the end of the aisle until he realized something. '_Wait...you're only on that side because you want to see what would happen if it was the wrong person, don't you?'_

"**Precisely."**

'_Dang you.'_

Turning the corner, he was surprised at who he saw. It was indeed Karai, just as he thought. At the moment, she wore casual clothing consisting of the usual torn jeans and leather jacket and sneakers. Karai didn't appear to have any weapons on her at the moment. And she was humming the tune that he knew very well. A smirk grew in his face, as he could hear the groan of a very annoyed fox.

'_I can't believe it! I actually won a beat for once! HAH! Eat it, Kurama!' _

"**Hrrrrmmmm."**

He looked over at Karai, and it appeared that the girl was very deep in thought. It was then that Leo realized what she was looking at, and that was when he decided to chime in.

"I didn't think I'd see you here," he greeted for the second time that night.

Once she heard his voice, she stopped humming the tone. Looking over at him, Karai was slightly surprised to see the blonde teen in next to her. The surprise quickly wore off, and she stood up straight. This was very unexpected in her opinion.

"I didn't think you would be here either, fox-boy," Karai returned the greeting. She looked over him for a second. "Did something happen?"

"Just call me, 'Minato,' when we're in public if you don't mind," he groaned. "And yeah, you could say that."

"How is he doing anyway?" she asked, interested, referring to the kitsune.

"Oh, him?" Leo knew exactly who she was referring to. "He's upset because I finally won a bet."

"You actually make bets with him?" Karai slightly chuckled.

"Mmm yeah, but he ends up winning every time. Then I have to do something for him, usually it's buying ice cream."

He heard her chuckle a little louder. Then, he spoke. "Really though, I didn't expect you here."

"I shouldn't be here to begin with. Let's just say I'm shrugging off my duties for the night, and that I want to relax. Today wasn't the greatest day." Karai answered.

"You too, huh? I may have gotten into an argument with my brother...let's just say it wasn't pleasant."

"So you skipped out and decided to go shopping? What happened to goody three-toes?" She commented.

"Hey, I can be goody three toes when I have to be. Outside of that…"

Both began to unconsciously head towards the checkout. Once they arrived, Karai went on ahead and paid for hers. Leo saw what she was buying and was interested. After she was done, he went up and bought the volume of manga he picked up. Once the two teens left the store, he decided to speak up.

"Irony," Leo stated.

"What?" Karai asked.

"I just think it's ironic that you're buying a volume of My Hero Academia considering...well, you know, your profession. That time you were humming earlier, that was, 'Hero Too,' wasn't it?"

Karai gave him a look, but it softened. "It's the only source of entertainment that I can hide from my father. He never lets me have anything fun. Sometimes I get to watch TV, but that's rare. In Japan, it was easier to get away with things, but now, not so much. Besides, shouldn't I be the one asking you about your choices?" She began to chuckle at the last part.

"One piece is good!" He talked back. "Yeah sure, it's about pirates, but...I guess I like it for the freedom aspect."

They turned a corner, getting away from the mainstream crown on the busy street. "I plan on leaving one day," he admitted, leaning against a brick wall. "Going far away from this city. I owe my life to Kurama, and in return, I want to bring him back to his home. Sometimes, I get tired of all the responsibility, you know?"

"Mmm," she responded. "I can understand that. Commanding a bunch of soldiers isn't easy either."

"Funnily enough, at first I didn't want to be a ninja. I wanted to be a musician."

"You're joking," Karai responded.

"Nope! When I was five, I found an old drum. Started playing on it until it was taken away from me. I was told that I wouldn't have time for it and that it was unimportant for a ninja. I do have a guitar and a few other instruments that I use occasionally. They're just hidden away, like a few other things…"

Leo sighed at the last part. There were many belongings that he had gotten over the years thanks to the fact that he worked for Mr. Murakami and got paid. Most of these were now at Talbot Peak, in one of the caves in the inner part of the mountain, serving as a secondary bedroom for when he trained with Shishigami and needed rest.

Though he couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that he was hiding a lot of things from his family. They didn't know that he could play an instrument well. They didn't know of his likes and dislikes, other than Space Heroes (but he had to admit that was somewhat fading). They didn't know of his abilities and powers. In truth, practically nothing was known to them. And this made Leo slightly guilty.

But it was for the better. If all of this came out, if every little thing that was known about him came to light, what would they say? Would they ridicule him? Criticize him? Ask him why he didn't trust them enough to tell them anyway? After all, they were family too. Weren't they?

"I want to ask you something," Karai began.

The jinchuriki had a feeling for what it was about, but nodded anyway. "Yes?" _**(2!)**_

_**(3) **_"I saw a bunch of robots during your fight. What's their deal?" she asked.

He inwardly groaned. This was obviously coming. Karai was a kunoichi after all. One with their enemy. And if she saw her, "enemy," fighting something, no doubt she would've been interested.

"They're dangerous, and that's all I will say. It's best if you stay away from them," he told her.

The last thing he wanted was Shredder getting info on the Kraang. He already had two mutated henchmen who were stronger than before. If the possibility of the Foot Clan obtaining mutagen were to arise, then who knows what could happen.

"I already like them," Karai answered. But she soon became serious. "Something else is going on here. What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you any more than that," Leo stated. "While I have a little trust in you, my brother says otherwise."

"He makes a good point. Eventually, I am going to destroy you."

"Heh, I'd like to see you try."

There was silence between the two for a while. Neither could actually fight at the moment, since they didn't bring their weapons. While yes, they could also fight without weapons, it just wasn't the place to do it in. And neither felt like fighting each other at the moment. Both were having pretty bad days.

Unbeknownst to Leo, Karai just came from an argument with the Shredder. She had taken an interest in these weird robot aliens, and decided to tell him about it. Unfortunately, he didn't care in the slightest about what was going on, and that his vendetta was what truly mattered.

It made Karai scowl at the thought of it. Was that all Shredder really cared about? A fifteen year old vendetta? Sure, she knew it was bad, and that her own mother was killed by Hamato Yoshi. She should want revenge. And yet…

"Karai...do you like being in the Foot?" Leo asked.

That question came out of nowhere and surprised her greatly. Why would he of all people be asking this type of question. She grew up in the Foot! She was a Foot Clan member by blood! A heir even! And he asked if she liked it there?

"And why do you ask that?" Karai questioned.

The blonde haired teen pushed himself off the wall and turned to her. "You said it yourself that your father, whoever he is, most likely a clan member who probably forces you into it, never lets you have fun because of it. And you told me that all Shredder talks about is revenge. Also that he needs a hobby and that he should get advice from me on that."

She chuckled quietly as Leo continued. "Really, I'm serious. If you don't get to do what you like, then why not leave? When the time is right, I'm going to leave my family behind. It isn't because I don't like them. I love them. But, it isn't where I belong. I'm completely different from them.

"Of course, my knowledge on your situation is nonexistent. Yet from your emotions, it may be true. Tell me, do you like it there truthfully?"

Soon afterward, Karai began to laugh a little at his response. Leo stood there, silent, thoughts running through his head. Perhaps he had been wrong, and she did like where she was at the moment.

"You're adorable," she told him. "Very smart too. But adorable."

He was slightly taken aback by her response, but chose to continue on. "Thanks?"

"**She gave you a compliment and you're clueless."**

'_I thought you were going to stop calling her my girlfriend!?'_

"**I did."**

'_Then what was that about then?!'_

Karai put her hand in her pocket and took out her cell phone, looking at the time. She put it back and began to walk away. Leo noticed the sudden change in her demeanor instantly.

"You're leaving?" He asked.

"I've got to do some of my job," she answered in a more lighthearted tone. "I can't just slack off and expect the Shredder to reward me."

"Then let me tell you one thing," Leo began, his voice stern. "You can fight me whenever you want to. But I need your word that you won't attack my brothers. Just because I said that I'm going to leave them one day doesn't mean that I hate them."

"You know I can't do that," Karai answered. "They're a part of the enemy clan just as much as you are. And plus, I don't think a certain someone would like it if I were to only just go after you anyway."

"I understand that you are in that position. However…"

Instantly, his eyes turned red. Whisker marks formed on his face. And lastly, his teeth began to look like fangs. The angry red chakra began to flow out of his body. So much so that Karai could feel it, like a slight wind blowing by that could turn into a gust in just a moment.

"If you come after them, I'll come after you. Hear me?"

She smirked at him, understanding. The kunoichi wasn't exactly sure how much power Leonardo had, but she knew it was a lot. And he would protect them with that power. That was what made him interesting in her opinion. He could be funny, joking, and nice in one moment, and calm, serious, and almost threatening in another. He was an enigma, that was for sure.

"Loud and clear," was all Karai said.

And she jumped up towards a nearby fire escape. Climbing up it quickly, Karai disappeared from his sight. His chakra levels died down, features returning to normal. Leo stood silently in the alleyway for a moment, then looked to see a nearby manhole cover. He went over to it and grabbed it, pulling it aside so he could climb down. Once he was done, Leo put it back on and went down the ladder. A puff of smoke appeared around him, and he was back in his normal turtle form.

'_I wonder who her father is…' **(3!) **_

* * *

_The next day, morning…_

"So...are you going to tell the guys about her?"

'_Dear god, is he ever going to leave me alone about this?!'_

"**Unfortunately it does not appear that way."**

"No need," Leo told him. "We...had a little chat, and uh, she's gonna leave us alone."

"Oh right," Raph started off sarcastically. "Because the villains always back off when you ask them to. Maybe I'll text the Kraang and ask them to stop mutating stuff."

The blue masked turtle gave his brother a glare. He was extremely tired of this. The situation was already taken care of, why couldn't he understand that? Karai was going to back off, and even if she tried to attack them, she knew what to expect from Leo.

'_I swear he does to only annoy me.' _

He pulled back the curtain that covered the door to the kitchen and went inside, not bothering to say another word. Leo didn't want to hear anymore, and just wanted breakfast. Going inside, he saw Donnie and Mikey were already in the kitchen, with Mikey looking through the fridge for something.

"Okay guys!" Mikey began. "Whadda want? Pizza-omelette, or omelette-pizza?"

"What's the difference?" Raph asked.

Mikey smiled, pulling out a bowl of eggs. "Okay, you caught my bluff," he said happily.

"**I don't think the difference needed to be known, because it would've been bad either way," **Kurama snickered.

'_Mikey's not that bad of a cook! He just...doesn't have that much experience, that's all!'_

Suddenly, all of their phones went off at the same time. The fours brothers pulled out their phones to check what it was.

'_Well this is weird,' _Leo thought.

"Hey, did you guys get a mass text from April?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Well does yours also say that she's being attacked by an old lady?" The purple masked turtle asked again.

"Sure does."

"Yep."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Is that considered an emergency?" Donnie said aloud.

"I guess," Leo answered nonchalantly. It was a few seconds later that he already realized. "Let's go!"

It didn't take them long to gather their weapon and head out. Finding the exact high school April was currently located at wasn't much of an issue either, considering Donnie had given April a T-Phone after her old one broke after an incident with Baxter Stockman. Thankfully the school was closed for a week long vacation, so getting in there without being spotted was no issue at all.

They went in casually through the front door. For the most part, the brothers were serious. Except for Mikey, who took the liberty of looking around in awe at the building.

"Suh-weet!" He gasped, almost as if he were enchanted by a spell. "So this is what school is like!"

'_Honestly, it doesn't look all that enticing,' _Leo thought. '_Though it feels like…'_

A loud alarm noise was heard, and Leo soon found out what it was. Metal detectors, so students wouldn't bring weapons into school. This wasn't a good sign, since it would alert anyone who was in the building. While it may be closed, someone could still be inside other than April and whoever that old lady was that was apparently attacking her. And they were supposed to be ninjas, for deer god's sake!

He could feel the annoyance emanating from Raph nearby. And he wasn't surprised at what happened next. The red masked turtle's started jabbing his sai into one of the sensors, leaving a whole in it. When one jab didn't seem to turn it off, he began to do it multiple times. Finally, it went silent.

Fortunately for them, it was rather easy to find the old woman who apparently attacked April. She stood on the top of the stairs leading into the main hallway, back facing them. By now, it wouldn't have been uncommon for a person like her to have been turned around and facing them in horror. Yet she stood there, quietly, too quietly in Leo's opinion.

'_I don't feel anything sort of life or energy from her,' _he thought. '_She's a human, and yet...unless…'_

"**Robot. That thing doesn't reek of nature energy."**

'_Nature energy?'_

"**In short, it's the energy that exists all around in this world. Living entities like yourself have more of it than say plants. This world has a slightly different type of nature energy than my own. It greatly varies, and it took years to get used to feeling this energy rather than the energy at home. It felt like breathing in poison when I sensed it."**

'_Do you think it's possible that I can do the same thing?'_

"**Ask Shishigami. But you're far away from learning it for now."**

"Okay, I feel stupid," Raph stated, referring to the fact that this situation looked normal for e most part.

"I'm sure April had a good reason to consider this an emergency," Leo said.

However, just as he mentioned April, the woman began to twitch slightly. In response, her head rotated one hundred eighty degrees, eyes glowing red. They had been right. It was a robot.

"A-A-April O'Neil?" it glitched out.

"Aww sewer bunnies," Raph cursed.

_**(4) **_The robot woman raised her arms, which opened up and looked like rocket launchers. It made a screeching noise, and soon afterward two missiles came flying out and went straight for the brothers. Thankfully they began to move, narrowly avoiding the missiles. When they hit the ground, both weapons blew up, throwing the turtles to the ground. Leo and Mikey landed on the staircase.

"Leo!" Mikey began. "I think this does count as-"

"An emergency! I know!" Said turtle answered angrily.

He heard the robot screech again, noticing that it was right above them. Both turtles jumped out the way, just before it crushed the wooden railing by landing on it with excessive force. Raph came up from behind and jumped towards the robot, sai pointed forward. But to his surprise, it stopped his sai with just a hand, yet the sai still penetrated through the hand, causing sparks to come out.

Raph saw the robot woman smirk, and before he knew it, he was being spun around, holding onto his sai that was still in the robot's hand. Its arm spun in circles in a very unnatural way, and it threw the red masked turtle onto the top of a trophy case nearby. The robot took out some documents and began throwing them at Raph at such a speed that they were getting stuck in the wall. He dodged them, soon using the projectiles as springboards and jumping onto the ordinary chandelier that hung above the robot.

Cutting the rope that kept it in place, he had hoped it would crush it. But the robot jumped out the way, as Raph came down with the chandelier. Off to the side, it landed in a weird position, and turned around, crawling like a spider before it got up and faced Leo. His brothers soon joined him, standing behind him.

"Alright guys. Let's put Old Mother Hubbard back in her cupboard."

And soon, he was met with three groans and a massive headache. It took Leo everything he had in him to not fall off.

"Dude, it literally hurts to listen to you sometimes," Raph complained.

"**For once I agree with him. That was just...horrible can't even describe it. Atrocious."**

'_HEY!'_

Missiles were once again launched at the four, but Raph threw throwing stars at them before they could get any closer. The weapons exploded, giving Leo and Donnie enough time to run forward. Once again, the robot woman readied the launchers. However, Leo and Donnie jumped up and leapt off the walls, giving them enough momentum to reach it. They sliced off the robot's arms and face quickly, revealing Kraang technology underneath the face mask that was once there.

"Mikey! The water fountain!" Leo yelled, implying for him to shoot water at the robot.

As usual however, the orange masked turtle didn't understand, and thought his brother meant something else. "I know! School has everything!" He answered in excitement.

"No! Spray her!" Leo yelled, anger coming out.

"Oh!"

And Mikey immediately aimed the water coming out of it at the robot. Once it landed, the robot began to convulse, short circuiting violently. Leo could practically see the energy flowing in all different directions along its body as it shut down and fell on the floor, dead. _**(4) **_

"April! Where are you!?" Donnie yelled.

Soon afterward, a door opened on the other side of the hallway. April appeared from inside, with an angry look on her face. She walked up to the robot and kicked it in the face.

"And stay down!" She yelled. "Thank you guys." April put her hand on Donnie's shoulder.

Said purple masked turtle blushed, and at first tried to make a gesture that looked like a hug. But it failed to catch April's attention, and so he settled for giving her a pat on the head.

"You are so welcome," he replied, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"So what the heck is that thing?" April asked, her as well as the two other turtles looking down at the robot.

"Looks like a...Kraangdroid," Leo began. "Minus the Kraang."

"She said she was from the Worldwide Genome Project."

"Whoaaa," Mikey said, putting up the face mask that the robot woman had earlier up to his face. "How did the Kraang find out that you sent your spit to the Worldwide Thingamajig Project?"

'_I'm not even going to ask how he knows about that.'_

Soon afterward, Leo heard a slight yell from Raph, probably from the sight of the mask. And then the sound of a punch was heard after that, as well as Mikey yelping in pain.

"The Kraang must've hacked into their system," Donnie theorized. "Who knows what kind of info they could be stealing."

"April, you head back to the lair where it's safe," Leo told her. "We'll go check out the Worldwide Genome Project."

"But first," he heard Mikey say, staring at a poster. "We gotta take down the Eastside High Panthers. According to that poster, they got it coming."

"**Want me to burn that poster before we leave?"**

'_Yes please!'_

* * *

_Hours later, Nighttime_

It didn't take that long to find out where exactly the Worldwide Genome Project Headquarters was located. Just searching it up on the internet was good enough, as the organization was very well known. However, they couldn't exactly get there yet, as it was still daylight out. So the brothers waited until night to head out.

Eventually they made their way across the rooftops towards a large, flat cylinder like building closer towards downtown. For the most part, it seemed like things were going their way. That is, until something felt off.

"**Karai is following you," **Kurama pointed out.

'_I know, and believe me I'm angry at the fact that she is.'_

"**Are you going to stop her?"**

'_If I try to, the guys will notice, so it's best not to make a scene. And I told her what would happen if she tried to attack my brothers, so I think Karai's just following us for curiosity.'_

"**Her emotions do not reek of ill intention. Like you said, she is probably curious."**

'_Unfortunately I'm going to have to let her follow. Hopefully this ends alright.'_

"**You just cursed yourself again."**

Soon, the four brothers arrived at the rooftop of the giant building. In front of them was a door with an electronic lock. From a rooftop away, Leo could still feel Karai, so he turned his head around. And there she was, crouching down quietly, watching them. He gave her a glare, as if telling her not to follow them in lest there would be great consequences otherwise. Then, Leo heard Raph speak.

"So, how do we get in?" He asked.

"Leave it to me," Donnie answered, pulling out a device that connects to his T-Phone. "I've got an app for that."

Immediately afterward, all three turtles groaned, with Leo sounding out an audible, "Oh boy," in annoyance. Ignoring them, Donnie connected the device to the door, tapping away at his T-Phone.

Raph just had about enough. "I've got an app for that too," he said sarcastically, kicking down the door.

They went inside, and Leo could see that Karai was closer to them now. As his brothers went in, he sent one last glare at her, eyes red and intimidating before heading in himself. The place itself was dark, however the blue masked turtle noticed some very familiar tech along the walls. This was not good in his opinion.

"You know, for a human lab, this place looks awfully Kraang-y," Mikey said nervously.

"**I never thought I would hear those words," **the fox stated, slightly stunned.

'_I told you, he has his moments.'_

"From the looks of things," Leo began. "I wouldn't be surprised that the Kraang are the Worldwide Genome Project."

Opening the door to the next room revealed a large tank of mutagen, with two Kraangdroids in front of it. Three of the turtles hid, while Mikey went in. He got up close to the robots when they weren't looking.

"Booyakasha," he whispered to them.

Before they could fire, Donnie came out and jumped up, hitting both with his Bo staff. The disabled robots were then thrown into an empty containment area in the wall. The two Kraang that came out of the damaged robots snarled behind the glass.

"Now you two play nice in there," Raph commented.

"What are those?" Leo asked.

He in fact was referring to the color coded containment areas that looked like the one they just shoved the two Kraang into. However, they appeared to be full, with a single color each one. There was a specific plant or animal design on the front of each of them.

"Well," Donnie began. "It looks like they're collecting DNA from every plant and animal species on Earth."

Leo saw Raph disappear for a moment, and he had a feeling why. '_Please don't tell me she actually followed us in here…'_

"**She did."**

'_Damn it!'_

"I wonder what they're doing with all this DNA?" Donnie wondered aloud.

"Whatever it is, it most likely isn't good. Let's shut this place down," Leo answered.

"Hey, where's Raph?" Mikey asked, now noticing his brother's disappearance.

"Gotcha!" They heard from above.

Looking up, the three of them saw Raph on top of the tank of mutagen with someone else. Mikey and Donnie had absolutely no idea who this other person was, but Leo full well did. The red mask turtle jumped down to the second layer of the tank, pinning the kunoichi to the glass.

"I'm not surprised you followed us in here, Karai," Leo noted, not mentioning at all that he knew that she did.

"Ka-who?" Donnie asked.

"Bet you think you're pretty slick," Raph commented in an annoyed way, almost mocking even.

But before he could say anything else, she twisted his wrist, allowing him to let go of her. Karai was able to get up fast, and kicked Raph to the ground, pinning him with her foot.

"I have my moments," she said coolly.

Raph managed to get out quickly, flipping around and grabbing his sais. He then jumped at her, making attempts to jab at her. But Karai was a little too agile for him. She blocked an incoming attack from his sais with her own metal armor on her arm, giving her enough time to grab the small blade that was in its sheath on her waist.

Karai slashed the weapon at the turtle, forcing him to put up his guard for a moment. It gave her enough time to kick him in the plastron, forcing him back and turning the tables. Raph was now on the defensive, using his sais to block any blows from her blade as Karai attacked him. They were in a deadlock.

'_This is the absolute worst time for him to pick a fight with her,' _Leo thought. '_He could've just left her alone. I could sense that she wasn't going to attack us. But of course he's gotta prove that he's right and I'm wrong!'_

"**You'll be spotted soon if this continues."**

"Could you two maybe take this somewhere else?! Stop it now!" Leo yelled, running forward.

""Okay, what the heck is going on here?!" Donnie asked Mikey. "How do they know her?!"

"Yeah! And how do we know her?!" Mikey asked, only to pause for a moment and think about what he said. "Wait...do we know her?"

"So this is the stuff that turns people into monsters huh..." Karai mentioned aloud, once again blocking Raph's sais. "How's it work?"

"Why don't you lean in a little closer and I'll show ya?" Raph stated sarcastically.

Before he knew it, Karai used her sword to bring down his sais, enabling her to headbutt him, sending Raph off of the tank. She jumped down, and the red masked turtle jumped up, ready to collide with each other. But before they could, Leo stepped in the middle, blocking both of their weapons with his katanas.

"Enough!" He yelled. "If you keep fighting, you're going to set off one of the alarms!"

"Why the heck are you defending her Leo!?" Raph exclaimed, clenching his sais tighter. "What is wrong with you?! She's bad news!"

"Yeah, I am," Karai said smoothly.

And just as he predicted, all of their shouting and yelling resulted in the sound of robotic footsteps and other electronic noises coming into the room. No doubt they had alerted the Kraang. Leo could see the blue gel covered droids marching in, blasters at the ready. Soon, they were surrounded, Kraang facing them on all sides and ready to fire.

"The ones who are not authorized by the authority of Kraang to exist in this place, will now be destroyed by Kraang in this place," one of the robots told them.

A bigger threat upon them than the kunoichi with them at the moment, the four brothers pulled out their weapons swiftly. All of them were ready for the battle in front of them.

"This day just keeps getting better," he heard Karai comment.

"Well, if you want to be a hero, now's your chance to be one," Leo whispered in her direction, so she could only hear him. "Those blasters actually hurt, so stay away from those."

He swore that if her metal face mask was off, Karai would no doubt be smirking at him for that. The Kraang began to fire their blasters at them. Karai ran forward, throwing her blade in one of the robot's faces, and proceeded to tackle it to the ground. Leo got close to one of the droids near her, and soon was blocking one of the Kraang's blasters from attacking with its saw with his katanas.

Noticing that no one was looking as they were busy with the Kraang, the kunoichi threw something small at Leo. He was barely able to catch it in his right hand since he was still holding onto his blade. It was a flash drive.

'_Why would she-?' _He thought.

"**Look at it later. You're about to get shot in the head."**

'_Ahh!'_

Leo ducked out of the way of an oncoming shot, even though he was already preoccupied. He managed to slip the flash drive into his belt, so that way no one would see that he had it.

"I like your brother, Leo," Karai yelled to him. She ran towards some Kraang who were firing at her and quickly sliced them in half. "He's almost as entertaining as you."

"Oh when this is over, I'll show you how entertaining I can be," Raph answered angrily, with a severed Kraangdroid's hand on one of his sais.

More were starting to pour in, surrounding the brothers once again. This time however, they brought in what appeared to be a very large cannon-like blaster with them. It was aimed at the turtles.

"Kraang is now arriving to provide the help that has been requested by Kraang," one of the droids stated.

"Leo, I think we're trapped!" Mikey yelled from behind him. Donnie and Raph were also close to him as well.

"No, _you're _trapped," Karai informed them, who had somehow gotten over to the set of computer panels that were under the tank of mutagen. "What happens if I do this?" She held her finger above one of the buttons.

"No!" Raph shouted.

"Don't do _that_!" Leo snarled, his eyes unconsciously turning red for a split second.

"Highly undesirable outcome," one of the Kraangdroids answered.

"Well, now I gotta," she admitted.

Karai pushed the button. A few of the tanks behind the turtles began to bubble up and drain, going into the mutagen. The first being yellow with a jellyfish on it. The second was purple with an isopod on it. The third was light blue with an octopus. The fourth was indigo with a cobra. Lastly, the fifth was green with a cat on it. And for some reason, Leo chose not to ask why, but at the sight of the cat picture, Mikey screamed.

The five kinds of liquified DNA entered the tank from the top, mixing in with the mutagen. It began to glow all sorts of colors, leaving everyone to stare at it and waiting to see what would happen next. Finally it stopped glowing, and the glass opened up, smoke coming out of it as well as a tentacle-like thing.

'_This is definitely not good,' _Leo thought.

He could hear the sound of Kraangdroids hitting the floor, most likely because whatever came out of the tank was attacking them. Since his vision was more improved, Leo could see through the smoke that Karai had jumped out of the way of a tentacle, and came back to their group.

Finally the smoke cleared, revealing an extremely weird and somewhat sci-fi like creature. It had the body of an octopus, giant eyeballs covered in purple slime projecting out of its head. Speaking of its head, it appeared that a large shell was coming down the middle of it. Lastly, it had floppy, cat-like ears on the side of its head. It definitely was not natural in any way, shape or form.

"Mrroww," it made a cat-like noise.

"Aww," Mikey said. "He's so cute."

"**That **_**thing **_**is CUTE?!" **Kurama roared. "**Kill it now! It's going to attack you!"**

_**(5) **_The creature then stretched up, revealing its mouth, which was large and like a cobra. The eyes moved away from its head, only attacked by a thin piece of skin and nerve. It roared rather loudly and menacingly. One of its tentacles lashed out at the group, causing them to jump away. Kraangdroids began firing at it, but this didn't affect the creature that much. However it did make it feel agitated, so it rammed itself into the Kraang, destroying some of the robot bodies.

"Woah! That is wicked!" Karai exclaimed in fascination.

"How the heck am I going to name this?" Mikey wondered, having absolutely no clue regarding the situation.

Leo watched her reach down and pick up half of a blue gel-coated Kraangdroid without the Kraang in it. She winked at the jinchuriki, signaling him to play along at what she was about to do. Mikey was just not paying attention to notice it.

"Good question," she said to the orange masked turtle. "Well, see ya." Karai jumped up onto the top of the tank, then used the glass as a jumping point to get to the exit.

"You're not going to help us beat this thing?!" Leo questioned angrily, yet he tried his best to not let his chakra flare up. "It's your fault!"

"I'll let the _heroes _handle it!" She shouted.

It was then that he finally realized what was going on. Leo understood why she chose those words. It most likely had something to do with the flash drive he was secretly given earlier. More things he would have to figure out at another time. But from what he could sense, her words betrayed what she truly felt.

'_This is staged!' _He thought. A smirk grew on his face.

"I trusted you!" He yelled.

"I know! That's messed up, right fox-boy?!" She shouted back, disappearing from view with the disabled Kraangdroid on her back.

Leo sighed as he watched her go. He turned his attention back to the fight at hand, noticing how the Kraang were beginning to fire their weapons at the creature. Unfortunately this didn't seem to work that much, and it used its tentacles to lash out at them. Leo narrowly dodged, and began to run away from it as it shot laser beams out of its eyes.

"So guys, are we all fans of Karai?" Raph asked Donnie and Mikey sarcastically.

"I don't know who she is," Donnie began, as Raph and Mikey ran away. "But now I hate her!" He proceeded to run away from the creature as well.

The Kraang continued to fire at the creature as it followed them. When they got close enough, the turtles jumped at them, taking down some of them to get by. The creature took out the rest as it attempted to go after the four. It reached out and grabbed Raph with one of its tentacles and wrapped it around him, attempting to squeeze him to death. Fortunately the red masked turtle got out, stunning the creature.

"Nice try, Octo-punk!" He yelled, but then got knocked away by a tentacle.

"No! No!" Mikey yelled out in excitement. "Call him Octo-eyeball-jelly-bug!" However, he realized it wasn't that creative. "Ehh, let's just call him Justin. Ahh!" He got smacked by a tentacle as well.

It slammed Mikey into the glass, then proceeded to knock Raph to the ground. Finally, the creature electrocuted Donnie, causing the purple masked turtle to fall over unconscious. Leo looked around and saw them all injured and nearly critically hurt. The creature stood in front of him, and he looked at it.

'_This is my fault. If I had given her more of a reason to back off in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. Heck, while I know what she said isn't exactly the truth, in my brothers' eyes it is.'_

"**It's not entirely your fault. Karai chose foolishly to make these events happen. She chose to follow you, because of her curiosity."**

'_Still, I should've done something instead of just nothing. Now my brothers are hurt because of it!'_

"**Blame yourself later baka! You have more important things to do! Or must I do it for you?!"**

'_...you're right. I can handle whatever else comes later. I don't need to be filled with guilt now. Not when there's something at stake! I will fight for them!'_

"**Heh. Took you long enough to understand."**

'_Ikuzo, Kurama!'_

"AAAAAHHHH!" The jinchuriki yelled, blades now covered in a fiery red chakra, eyes red, and whisker marks forming.

He ran at the beast with astonishing speed, avoiding the laser beams coming from its eyes with key precision and timing. Once Leo was close enough, he jumped at it, slashing his katanas. The ominous red chakra began to burn the creature, leaving it to cry out in anguish.

'_This isn't working that well. This thing has pretty good defenses, considering it has a shell on its head. The laser beams are a bit of a problem, but they work like electricity in a way. Maybe…'_

Running by the control panel to the mutagen, an idea struck his head like lightning. '_Yes! That could work!'_

"**The control panel. Shock that abomination into nonexistence."**

After that, Leo rammed himself into the shell-like center of its head, slightly confusing it. Though the creature reached out to him with one of its tentacles, however since it was slightly dazed, it ended up throwing Leo into the air. The jinchuriki yelled as he came down, and avoided another tentacle coming at him by sliding across it with his katanas. He left burns on it as he went down. Closing in on the head, Leo rammed into it, causing the creature to fall down for just a moment.

It shook its head, getting rid of the daze it was in. When it finally focused on Leo, the turtle was right in front of the control panel. He was smirking, fangs flashing, as if taunting the beast.

"Hey Justin!" He shouted, pointing one of his katana at it. "This ends now!"

The creature tilted back slightly, then released its plasma energy beams at the turtle, almost as if it were lightning. It struck the blade that Leo had pointed out. He struggled immensely to not let it run down his body and potentially kill him. Kurama helped somewhat, allowing some of his chakra to flow out and surround Leonardo's body like a shield.

Seconds felt like eternity as he lifted his other sword and brought the end of its hilt to the other one, sending electricity through the second blade. The creature didn't let up its onslaught one bit, determined to shock and kill the jinchuriki. Leo yelled, and plunged the blade that was facing down into the control panel. And that was all it took for a shock to run up his body and into his head. And then...he felt and heard it.

Something penetrating his stomach. The sound of his bones breaking. The agonizing pain. His eyes widened at the very blurry sight, yet when he tried to see it clearly, it disappeared.

This reaction only lasted a millisecond, and for a moment, Leo thought that the creature behind him had somehow stabbed him with a tentacle. But before he could question anymore, there was an explosion as a result from the electricity entering the control panel. The blue masked turtle was thrown back, but Leo soon recovered quickly.

Looking up, he saw that he accomplished what he wanted. The creature was engulfed in a green-colored fire, screeching in agony and pain. Trying to get rid of it, it rammed itself into a wall, causing a massive hole, as well as a new escape route for the turtles. Behind his back, Leo felt his brothers come close to him.

"Hah! Take that, Justin!" Mikey yelled.

A few moments later, they could hear the sound of the building beginning to collapse in on itself. No doubt this was as a result of the creature ramming itself into many other walls and foundations inside, still trying to get rid of the flames. Leo swore he was beginning to smell smoke.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" He yelled to his brothers. _**(5!)**_

The brothers escaped the building, just before flames became noticeable from the outside. Sirens were soon afterward, indicating that fire trucks were coming to put out the fire. They managed to get to a tall building with a high fire escape, and for the moment, the brothers hid up there as they watched the scene from below.

All the while, Leo was shaking slightly. His brain felt incredibly fuzzy, the shock from earlier dazing him slightly. Even with Kurama's protection, he still felt the after effects of it. Leo's hands were slightly burned, however they were now being healed by the fox.

"**Leonardo?" **Kurama asked.

Said turtle didn't respond, thinking about something else. Instinctively he reached down to grab his stomach area, where he thought he was stabbed. But there was nothing there. Nothing at all. Perhaps it had been some sort of vision? Or maybe something else…?

"**Leonardo?" **the fox called again.

This time, he did answer. '_I'm fine Kurama,' _Leo reassured him. '_I just...I'll tell you later.'_

"Soooo…" Mikey's voice broke the silence between the four.

"We're thinking _somebody _should start talking," Donnie stated.

He could feel the glares from all three of his brothers. This wasn't the way he'd imagine it would go. So in response, Leo sighed.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later, in the lair…_

_**(6) **_"I should've told you about Karai sooner. I suppose my reason for not saying was because I saw some good in her, and was willing to see how far that would go. At one point, I thought the situation was done with, but tonight showed that wasn't the case…"

He was extremely overwhelmed by the amount of negative emotions around him. His head was beginning to hurt, almost even more so than when Leo first felt Shredder for the first time. The jinchuriki was trying his hardest to not show any sign of pain, for if he did, only more questions would come about. And that, at this moment, was the last thing Leo wanted.

His family was mad. Oh, they were _so _mad. While on the outside, one may describe it as such, but from what Leonardo was feeling, it was not even close to that description. Anger. Hatred. Somewhat disbelief. And the worst of it all, betrayal.

Betrayal at the fact that he didn't trust them. In their eyes, he didn't trust his own family to tell them about this. That Leo had been interacting with a kunoichi from their enemy clan, and could've gotten injured or died. And worse, he could've died and they wouldn't know it.

Their emotions hurt, this Leonardo knew for a fact. It also most likely hurt them as well. Trust wasn't always an easy thing to fix. And this only came after knowing Karai for only about a week! He couldn't imagine if and when…

'_Would it be like this?' _Leo couldn't help but think. '_Or would it be worse should that ever happen? The rejection, the shame...would it be more painful than it is now?'_

In truth, he didn't know. The jinchuriki only told half of the story. He cut out the parts of going downtown and saving her from being hit by a bus. Meeting her in the comic book store. And most importantly, how he showed her his most guarded secret. A majority of his story was left out. Should he say anymore, and who knows what could happen to him.

"Go ahead, laugh…" he said quietly, face turned away from them.

"Dude, I can't believe you trusted her," Mikey stated in an annoyed tone.

Those words were the type he never expected to hear from Mikey. And they hurt, immensely. Leo of course, had his reasoning for trusting her. Well, that wasn't really the case. He had no exact explanation for it. He just...knew that he could trust her. There was a sense of familiarity around Karai, one that he couldn't figure out where it came from and why.

"**Are you sure this isn't a different dimension?" **Kurama asked. "**Because...I have no words. Has his stupidity completely been thrown out the window?"**

He resisted the urge to chuckle, but a small smile escaped him. '_Oh how I wish it was…'_

"I can't believe you didn't trust us enough to tell us," Donnie said accusingly.

It took everything Leo had to not scowl and retaliate at those words. '_I have my reasons for keeping it a secret. Ones that none of you would understand. When do I get to do things I want to do? When do I get to have fun? In secret, after you all go to bed, or when I purposely say I'm going out.' _

'_Karai...even though she's a part of a different clan, an enemy clan, it feels like I can trust her. I guess it's because she knows what it's like to want to have fun. Karai said that her father doesn't let her do anything she wants to after all.'_

"I know," Leo admitted, covering up his swirling thoughts. "I was wrong. I'm really sorry…" He hung his head in shame.

Hearing the sound of Splinter coming closer, no doubt to lecture him about how bad of a decision to make and to never make one like that again, Leo just couldn't raise his eyes. It wasn't exactly the guilt that got to him. Rather, it was the emotions of his father. He could feel that Splinter was hurt at this, and it only made him feel worse.

"Leonardo," the rat master began. "You are not the first young man, or turtle, to make a fool of himself over a girl."

""What about Donnie-Ow!" Mikey started, but was slapped by Donnie.

The jinchuriki clenched his fist, repressing the urge to grit his teeth. '_I didn't make a fool of myself!'_

"**The bus incident."**

'_I _saved _her life!' _

"However," Splinter interrupted their conversation. "When that girl is a kunoichi in the employ of your enemy, that is an error you cannot afford."

'_And here we go again...I can handle the situation! I even warned her of what would happen should she mess with us! And you warned her too, Kurama!'_

"**Splinter is going off on what he knows, not what you know." **

'_I know that! And-wait, did you just call him, 'Splinter,'? Not, 'rat,' ?' _

"**Forget it."**

"Hai, Sensei," Leo answered.

"Deception is the ninja's most powerful weapon. And it seems Karai is a master."

"I know...we can't trust her. I see that now…"

It was almost contradicting in a way, considering how much had happened to him. He had to say those words, otherwise there would be suspicion. Would the flash drive she gave him make him regret those words? He would have to find out.

"Good," Splinter commended, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You must learn from your mistakes."

"Hai, Sensei…"

The rat master took his hand off of Leo's shoulder, and headed into the dojo, probably to sleep for the night. For him, it was best to rest, and read whatever Karai had placed in the drive for him to read. Leo decided to head for his room.

"Hey Leo," Mikey asked him.

"Yeah Mikey?"

"Why did she call you, fox-boy? Is it like some sort of super secret code name or something? Cause it sounds kinda weird. I mean why would she call you that in the first place? You're a turtle bro. I would've come with something like-"

"It's nothing Mikey, really," he answered. "Nothing important." _**(6!) **_

Opening the door to his room and closing it behind him, Leo stood by it for a couple of minutes, until the coast was clear. Once he heard everyone, including April who went home for the night, head in, he transformed into the spiky blonde haired teen, then began the Reverse Summoning Technique. Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram. Leo slammed his hand against the ground, and was teleported instantly to his room in Talbot Peak.

'_I really should make a way to not use hand seals for that. It's getting extremely annoying.'_

Leo got off his bed, and searched the stone-walled room for his laptop (which he had purchased with the money from working with Mr. Murakami for the past few years). Finding it, he turned it on, placing the flash drive in the port.

'_Let's hope this thing isn't fired,' _he thought, referring to the fact that he had it on him when electricity was shooting through his body.

Thankfully, it seemed to have worked, with a file inside the drive showing up. Leo clicked on it, revealing a text file that was most certainly written by Karai. He began reading it.

"_Hey there Fox-boy,"_

"_I'm not really good at apologizing, and that goes for writing too. I just want to know what's going on in this city. Shredder doesn't care that much, but I do. Things just keep getting interesting the longer I'm here. Way more interesting than Japan."_

"_Speaking of which, how about this Fox-boy? Meet me at the Byerly Building again on Thursday at 8. And bring me some proof that you're a good musician like you say you are. I want to introduce you to someone. She's currently in Japan, so it'll be over the phone. You two are similar with your weirdness." _

"_I don't have much time. Father will be here any minute. And god knows what he'll do when he finds I'm writing to the, "enemy." _

"_Sayonara, Fox-boy,"_

"_Karai."_

Leo smirked. He was most definitely free on that day. And if something came up, he would make sure it didn't get in the way. Closing the laptop, he pulled over the covers on his bed and began to sleep. Shishigami would let him rest for the night after all that had happened.

Maybe...just maybe...he had another friend.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 12! Yee!**

**As I said before, I'm not going to ship anyone with Leo at the moment. Other than that, the shipping will remain as canon-wise as it can be for the most part. He's going to have more interactions with some of the ****characters, namely April and Karai (the former we don't get that much interaction with in the show and when we do, they're really great, and the latter, well you know). I imagine Karai would like some sort of manga and anime, mostly because she did come from Japan to America. I said MHA as somewhat for irony, and for the fact that she, unlike the rest of the Foot, held some honor and did see at some points that what they were doing was bad (See "The Wrath of Tiger Claw").**

**Also I just have this little headcanon that if Leo wasn't a ninja or didn't have the choice to be one, he would be more of an artist or a musician. I'm not sure as to why. Speaking of our favorite blue masked turtle, how the heck in the show does he survive being shocked by Justin? Like the electricity shoudl've shocked him or something! Alas, the results of that incident will trigger some rather interesting events in the future.**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia **


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